Expassionates

It’s been a decade since Kansas City’s Expassionates put out a record, and it’s safe to say the band is champing at the bit to atone for those lost years. As fast as Scott Easterday rekindled his muse with a stellar lineup featuring guitarist Marco Pascolini, bassist Richard Burgess and drummer Sam Platt, he’s been even more efficient with the expedited release of Landscapes. The 10-song album makes good on the barroom-seducing sounds that Expassionates has been cooking up during the past two years: a sultry blend of northern soul, Americana and border-country twang. Chris Isaak, eat your heart out.