Soggy Po' Boys: All in Favor`

 Listen to: "All in Favor”

 On October 25th, the Soggy Po' Boys released their fourth album, All in Favor. It was recorded at Noise Floor recording studio in Dover, mixed by Mike Effenberger and Eric Klaxton, and mastered by Pete Weiss of Verdant Studios in Athens, Vermont. The album is available on CD, as a digital download and as a vinyl LP from their Bandcamp site.  
 
The Po' Boys wanted this album to be representative of their live performances. So, rather than record songs that nobody outside of the band had heard before, they laid down some of the songs that fans enjoy from their live performances. There's a benefit to recording the music they play locally in The Dance Hall in Kittery or at their Tuesday residency at Sonny's Tavern in Dover. They spent less time in the studio. Mike Effernberger said that “the whole thing from setting up the gear to walking out the door took only eight or nine hours."  A very short period compared to the two to three days needed for their previous efforts.       
 
I've played All in Favor four times so far.  Twice listening casually while at work on my PC and to the digital version and the vinyl LP at home in a more dedicated listening effort. Mission accomplished, it sounds like the Soggy Po' Boys live without the clinking glasses, people talking, and other venue-related noises. True, hearing them play those songs without the benefit of being at Sonny's on the second pint of your favorite with friends is a different experience.  Even with all of the possible sonic flaws and disturbances, there is no substitute for hearing live music. Not even the best live recordings can compare with being there. Then again, there is also something very comfortable about listening at home. With the right audio system or a good pair of headphones, you can hear subtleties that get lost in most live settings. You're free to focus your attention on whatever details of the music are important to you. All in Favor gives you a taste of what the Po’ Boys do so well live and at the same time enables you to hear things you usually can't at Sonny's.

-Mike Guy