Flat Duo Jets Makes Raucous Roots Music

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Flat Duo Jets

Wild Wild Love

Daniel 13

For more than three decades, North Carolina’s Dexter Romweber has been a walking encyclopedia of early Rock’n’Roll styles, making great, underappreciated roots music. Spanning 1984 to 1990, the two-disc Wild Wild Love collects his earliest efforts as leader of the raucous Flat Duo Jets, featuring plenty of crazed rockabilly (“Mill Stream”), as well as sentimental ballads (Elvis Presley’s “Love Me”), stomping R’n’B (“Riot in Cell Block #9”) and all manner of snazzy instrumentals, from the spooky, surf-tinged “Madagascar” to the goofy “Chiquita.” All this would be a stale exercise in reverent nostalgia except for Romweber’s exuberant, booming voice and crackling guitar, which create the sensation of encountering a brand-new sound. Remarkably untamed by passing time, Dex is still going strong today, and this 33-song set, offering a bounty of outtakes, is a must for longtime fans and a great introduction for the curious.