There's simply too much good music coming out of Baltimore not to include at least a sample in this intermittent column. A lot of it is weird and spazzy, but that's not the case with J Roddy Walston and the Business. This quartet plays rock-and-roll. Not indie rock, not alternative rock, not pop/rock, nothing like that. Rock-and-roll. When you break it down, there are just two very simple components. First, you have the rock, which is served up in plentiful doses throughout the album's 12 tracks. Think the Hold Steady but with less of a classic rock bent. Yes, there are definite nods to the Band and Mott the Hoople, but the guitar and piano-based songs have a pretty timeless sound and constant forward momentum, especially on "Stop Rip & Roll" and "Rock & Roll The Second." Then comes the roll, which is really where the piano comes in. This may not be dance music, but it's certainly boogie music. The twinkling of the keys adds an infectious, hip-shaking element to most of these tracks. J Roddy's enthusiastic, verging-on-hoarse vocals are perfect for lines like "My sister shakes it / Her kiddies shake it / You know they shake it / They gotta, gotta make it!" Take a listen and you'll surely be shakin' too.

--David Malitz, July 2007