Although not as commercially successful as G. Love & Special Sauce's self-titled debut, Coast to Coast Motel is a definite improvement.
The band keeps its hip-hop influence (much more prevalent on the debut) in check here, concentrating more on creating a mighty instrumental groove.
It's also more of a traditional rock & roll approach for the band, with the results quite often being successful.
Coast to Coast Motel, the singer/guitarist's second shot with his bass and drums ensemble Special Sauce, does not even grant us the minor pleasures of his debut's "blues rap" novelty. This time, Mr. G focuses primarily on the R&B sounds of New Orleans, where the band recorded the album. That G. Love counts John Hammond Jr. an inspiration is telling: What Coast to Coast Motel offers is bratty suburban recreations of Hammond's competent but uninspired blueblood appropriations of classic blues music. New Special Sauce tunes like "Kiss & Tell" and "Bye Bye Baby" are absolutely fine but inauthentic and unnecessary given the breadth of great blues already available to motivated listeners. And any college-educated kid, like Garrett, who insists on singing with the slurred drawl of elderly sharecroppers needs to be slapped silly.
The opening "Sweet Sugar Mama" is bass-driven and funky; other highlights include the smooth "Nancy," the uplifting "Chains #3," and the startling Led Zeppelin attack (musically, anyway) of "Small Fish." "Kiss and Tell" is an obvious attempt at a hit single, while some may consider the lyrics to "Soda Pop" a bit too foolish.
As mentioned earlier, however, the group achieves some great, groovy interplay that can easily suck the listener in. Jimmy Prescott's upright bass playing and Jeff Clemens' drumming are tight and locked together, as G. Love adds his scratchy blues guitar on top. These guys have found the groove.
Track listing
1. Sweet Sugar Mama (G. Love, J. Clemens, J. Prescott) – 4:05
2. Leaving the City – 3:40
3. Nancy (G. Love, J. Clemens, J. Prescott) – 3:21
4. Kiss and Tell – 3:14
5. Chains #3 (G. Love, J. Clemens, J. Prescott) – 2:58
6. Sometimes – 4:23
7. Everybody – 3:40
8. Soda Pop (G. Love, J. Clemens) – 3:49
9. Bye Bye Baby – 4:39
10. Tomorrow Night – 4:55
11. Small Fish (G. Love, J. Clemens, J. Prescott) – 5:21
12. Coming Home – 4:35
All songs by G. Love, except as noted
Personnel
G. Love – guitar, harmonica, vocals
Jeffrey "Thunderhouse" Clemens – drums, backing vocals
Jimi "Jazz" Prescott – double bass
Rebirth Brass Band – horns
Jim Dickinson – electric piano, producer
BroDeeva – backing vocals
Technical
Chika Azuma – Art Direction, Design
Richard Hasal – Assistant Engineer
Keith Keller – Producer, Mixing
Ron Kruit – Photography
Bob Krusen – Engineer
Stephen Marcussen – Mastering
Trina Shoemaker – Assistant Engineer
Don Smith – Mixing
Special Sauce – Producer
Ski Williams – Illustrations
Coast to Coast Motel is also an actual motel in Hinton, West Virginia, where the New and Greenbrier Rivers meet.
Notes
Release Date: September 19, 1995
Recording Location: Chez Flames Studios, New Orleans, LA Kingsway Studios Sea-Saint Studios
Genre: Pop, Rock
Styles: Blues-Rock
Duration: 48:40
Label - Epic Records
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