Extreme Heat

Koda "Young Corn" Shintaro and his Tokyo - Based jump blues ensemble Bloodest Saxophone first traveled to Austin in 2017 to perform at the Eastside Kings Festival and to record the Dialtone album Texas Queens 5. During this sessions Crystal Thomas, one of the quest vocalists, bonded artistically with these ace instrumentalists. Impressed by her synergistic spirt and strong singing, Shintaro invited Thomas to tour with his troupe in Japan and Hong Kong in 2018. She then returned the next year to perform with them at the Fuji Rock Festival and later played the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. In 2022 they happily reunited in Austin to make this new album - the culmination of their creative alliance thus far.
Fans of either Bloodest Saxophone or Crystal Thomas should be well pleased, for this dynamic recording belongs equally to both. As Shintaro has noted, not only is Thomas a contributing songwriter, but when they perform together, she essentially become "a member of the band." In turn, the musicians play with a sonic fever that enhances her soulful singing across a wide rang of superb material.