This may be the most oddly eclectic album I’ve reviewed in all my years with this magazine. And that’s sayin’ something. Bassist and bandleader Robert Snow has played with a host of different artists—including greats like Little Freddie King, Johnny Adams and Ernie K-Doe—and his band project, Kid Eggplant & the Stuffed Melatauns, now on their third CD, is an outlet for anything he happens to come up with.

The cover and title set you up for a gonzoid bit of political commentary—which is what you get on the opening title track, a mashup of newsreel soundbites, metal riffage and chanting of the title. But that leads into “Blue Lights and Sirens,” a mandolin-driven acoustic number about seeing police trucks and ambulances in your neighborhood. The antiwar theme continues on “Ground Zero Time” which sounds like a modern rework of Tom Lehrer’s classic “Who’s Next.” But from there it can’t get much different than “Beans Beans Beans,” an Indian-styled chant about—you guessed it—beans.

The more straightforward tracks are some of the best ones, though those are all over the map too. “Girl (Something Missing)” is a classic-styled New Orleans R&B ballad; the sort of thing K-Doe might have done. “At the Cross” is traditionally-styled gospel. “Rose Colored Glasses” is a nice bit of garagey alt-rock, on the Fleshtones/Young Fresh Fellows side of things. And “More Than Yesterday” is a completely non-ironic, jangly pop song with layered harmonies and a sweet acoustic solo from Brian Stoltz (probably the best-known of this album’s many guests).

This is a far easier album to enjoy than it is to figure out. And don’t bother googling the band name for info: I did that and had no luck, though I did get some great recipes.

Kid Eggplant & the Stuffed Melatauns