The Red Devils have the fundamentals down cold when it comes to mid-'50s Chicago and Texas grind-style blues/R&B. But at the Palomino on Friday, the book remained open on a larger question: Can the L.A. quintet, which emerged from a Monday night residency at Hollywood's King King club, transcend its jamming roots and revivalist nature? And do they even want to?
The band's "ultra raw" (lead singer Lester Butler's phrase) attack was certainly energetic enough Friday to escape the museum-piece syndrome. A new song with a "Midnight Rambler" tempo shift and an encore of Slim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips" brought the Rolling Stones of 25 years ago to mind; no wonder Mick Jagger pulled the band into the studio to back him on a recording session.
