Room Service Review by Glenn Nelson

Glenn Nelson – “Highway 49”

The Bellhops on this their debut album present the dance hall blues of a bygone era with all the flair and finesse one would expect of such a band. By their own definition, the Bellhops are an R’n’B, Blues and Swing outfit, which is a most apt description. Copious use of brass is encountered on the many up tempo tunes with some wonderful renditions of pass classics such as “C.C.Rider” or “I’m Ready” which are surpassed by the many original tunes on offer. A majority of the music of Room Service is very lively as you would expect from bands of this ilk. Respite from this assault of quick tempo brass driven tracks come from some absolutely delightful usage of harmonica, guitar and keyboard with some great Dobro found on the unscheduled track 13, apparently titled Ellen B. The guitarist John Russell penned, “Criminal of Love” drops the tempo and feel to a soulful slow Blues with some nice saxophone integration to finish. Russell,( the primary lyricist ) along with guitarist Ian Dittman have written some clever tunes very much suited to the music. Bass runs and drums of Mark Roulston and Steve “Wrongway” Lovarini respectively are integral to the feel of the music and consistently provide a smooth backing and driving force. Steve Trew and Ian Dittman handle vocal chores well with the harmonica of Steve adding additional textures. Much enjoyment is derived after some familiarisation. “Room Service” has proven to be an impressive debut release from this bunch of Sydney dwellers.
This review can be found on at Highway 49