The title of the Yallopin' Hounds CD Lindy Hop Deluxe is enough to make any seasoned swing dancer say "we'll see about that." This band obviously gears itself toward dancers, and is attempting with this album to be conscious of the music's evolution and its synergy with swing dancers.

The sound of the Yallopin' Hounds might be likened to sax-ified jump blues as seen through the eyes of David Lynch during his Twin Peaks days. The melodic riffs can be slightly haunting, but maybe that's what you get when you're being thoughtful and reflective in a composition like this.

The first six tracks of the CD, while all separate song titles, are meant to be perceived like a classically inspired suite that takes the listener through the history and complexity of swing dancing. The dreamy movements seem to hit on every idea, starting with Savoy Style Lindy Hop, and visiting ideas as nouveau as Hip Hop Lindy or as established as West Coast Swing.

Of the initial six cuts, "Raw Shuffle" creates a classic (if a little dark) feeling within the framework of the ensembles' musical range, "Orbit Me" is both magical and strange, and easily one of this writer's favorite 'alternative' musical experiments in this genre. "Hip Hop Lindy" is exuberant and may have you breaking out into the robot.

"West Coast Strut" is a jump blues/big band ensemble playing like a funk band, and the thirteenth track on this CD is a remix of the same song, for those remix loving dancers. It's good tempo west coast music, but not quite as "pop music-like" as some of the westie crowd might like.

This suite was first presented in its entirety at the American Lindy Hop Championships in 2002. The remaining tracks of the CD seem to dig into the experience of Yalloppin' mastermind G-Clef and his work with passed-on swing band luminaries like Illinois Jacquet and Doc Cheatham. "Stolen Sweets" and "Black Velvet" are excellent smooth lindy cuts, as is a lengthy version of "Pennies from Heaven". For the up-tempo music fan, "Stitches" is superb, as is the Lionel Hampton tribute "Flying Home".

The Yallopin' Hounds have achieved a brand of swing that is both advanced and reflective, and surely worthy of the "deluxe" label.