Over the past couple of months, I have been on a bit of a James Brown kick. Picking up random album from his past and even a 45′ of JB doing “Living In America” from Rocky IV. Another kick I have been on of late is music coming out of Austin, Texas. Sure, there are loads of talented bands that claim Austin as home, so I dug beneath the surface just a bit and with a little help have unearthed some great bands in the process.

One that I stumbled upon recently that satisfied both of those “kicks” is Black Joe Lewis. Certainly not a secret, but unknown to me, Black Joe Lewis’s sound hooked me instantly. With every bit as much soul and sweat as James Brown and more recently King Khan & The Shrines, Lewis and his band The Honeybears are not only great musicians, but also make me laugh out loud with some of their lyrics. With tunes like “Bitch, I Love You” and “Bobby Booshay” it can be as comedic and fun as anything I have heard so far this year. The upcoming album was also produced by Jim Eno of Spoon.

The digital EP is already available from outlets like lala.com (below) and the debut full length album is on the way March 17th from Lost Highway titled Tell Em’ What Your Name Is. Listen to “Gunpowder” below and tell me you don’t love it…

Here is a live clip of Black Joe Lewis from Lollapalooza 2008.