Brush the hair back, light up a smoke, grab the keys and get ready to peel off down the midnight highway-but don't forget to pop your Amazing Royal… hey, what happened to the "royal" in their name?

Now it's just The Amazing Crowns!

When did that happen?

Well evidently they are "Still Royal" according to the "whoa, oh, whoa ohh's" on that first tune!

I'm not sure how I feel about this. "The Amazing Crowns?" Just doesn't have that same flow. Luckily the music still does.

Their newest recording is an uplifting slice of traditional American "let's go to the hop and raise some hell" pie in the raucous and rebellious rock and roll tradition of the fifties with more than a passing glance toward a sweaty, degenerative surf side punk image.

Lotsa extra vocs in the background here-"Mr. Fix It," "Perfect Sin…" what do we get the B-52's guesting here… or maybe old Mr. Lux and Miss Ivy?

The 'Crowns would likely be the band that would've elicited fear and strife into the hearts of overprotective mothers everywhere back in the days when Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis were the reigning kings of deviance and undisciplined ear jamming.

But even today, their aura of defiance speaks loudly enough to justify imposing a curfew on some of today's more impressionable teens.

Lead man Jason "King" Kendall takes the forefront to extremes as his high octane vocal style and "mayhem" prove to be the perfect match for the piston pumping rhythm formula of the backing members all of whom go to great lengths to personify all of the greatness that surrounds the big rockabilly vibe... with the apparent enlistment of a few of their noisy friends!

Finally we arrive at a slightly more mild point on "Flipping Coins" and it's a nice effort, it really is but… no. Most of the Amazins' songs twist and twang along at a rapid speed of generally less than three minutes per with more than enough picking and plucking to send many a winged creature taking to the sky in an immediate tizzy!

Gotta love the energy these guys give out, not to mention that blistering bassline, with the reckless nature of tunes like "Hat Size," "Invitation to Alienation," and "Biter Life," all about as close to what a marriage of rockabilly and thrash might sound like, and "Out the Door," which has that emotional 50's teen rebel movie soundtrack vibe going for it!

The 'Crown's energy and flair for excitement, not to mention an endearing knack for juvenile accessibility should prove to be a quick selling point to image-conscious hipsters everywhere who feel the need to break out the shades and leather and get down, dirty and… greasy!

Released by Time Bomb Recordings

Review By Vinnie Apicella