**1/2 Jimmy Sturr
I LOVE TO POLKA
(Rounder)
On the international polka
king's second Grammy-winning disc, he cross-pollinates traditional dancehall
fare with outside influences from country and Cajun. He dovetails more typical
made-for-dance numbers like the bouncy accordion-ized instrumental "Button Box
Fever" and the corny waltz-timed "I L.O.V.E. Y.O.U." with South-of-the
Mason-Dixon-Liners like the Statler Brothers standard "Bed of Roses" and Kenny
Rogers's "Blaze of Glory." What makes his covers stand out from his
contemporaries' is the progressive arranging styles he lends to them. Little
touches like multi-layered horns stepping in at the right time and Cajun
fiddling on "It's Party Time" (the disc's first track) go a long way toward
making each song seem as distant from generic polka-band fare as Montana is
from Maine. Jimmy Sturr isn't the polka king for nothing.
-- Mark Edmunds
(Jimmy Sturr plays the Wonderland Ballroom Sunday afternoon, April 21,
from 1 to 5. Call 491-2725.)
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