Admittedly I’m not all that familiar with James Hall’s career—which includes numerous solo and band projects over the past 30 years, along with a few years’ residence in New Orleans (and an OffBeat cover, August 1993)—and I’m not a huge fan of rap/rock crossover. So, I clearly wouldn’t be in the target audience for Hall spearheading a new rock/rap crossover project.

That said, I’m digging the heck out of this album, which hits the sweet spot between lovingly-crafted throwback and exuberant sleaze. Hall and his “ladies”—all guys, and all rockers who’ve been around the block—avoid staying in one groove for too long. The rap breaks are blended with garage stomps, disco-styled chants, a hyperactive rhythm section and pop hooks. It all sounds like something you’d hear in a nightclub with a great DJ—which makes sense, since the lyrics are usually about late-night romantic/sexual escapades.

There’s a message here between the lines, and it harks back to the inclusive spirit that was shared by disco and glam rock in their heyday. “Trashy Things” is about coming out of a “long dark winter”—you can decide whether that means shutdown or the Trump era—and offers trashiness as the antidote. “I don’t believe that we are enemies, everywhere I go I get along with the people,” Hall sings in “Vouch for Me,” and the relentlessly upbeat groove makes his point. “We Are the WuWu” goes a step further and imagines a nationwide movement of peace, love and decadence, while proving it would have a great soundtrack.