JamBon

As longtime keyboardist for Chicago's Sonia Dada, Chris "Hambone" Cameron added some tasty playing to the band's hybrid of rock, soul and R&B. For his new project, JamBón, Cameron recruited fellow Sonia Dada singers Michael Scott and Shawn Christopher, as well as Liquid Soul guitarist Tom Sanchez, Weather Report percussionist Jose Rossy and a few session aces to round out the eight-piece group. Although JamBón takes a few cues from Sonia Dada on its self-titled debut, the material, all of which was written or co-written by Cameron, is a bit more gritty and rooted in the funk of the Meters or Rufus. A lot of the cuts are thoroughly danceable, especially the album's opener "Soul Deep" and the Professor Longhair-flavored "Too Much Barbeque."