The album is clearly a departure from what many in the public might be expecting after having Zoot Suit Riot as their only exposure to the band. Lead man Steve Perry, who is responsible for all the lyrics and music, is adept at mining any genre of music that fits the mood of the song he's creating; anything from swing, ska, rhythm and blues, soul and punk can find a home with the Daddies. This album taps an old vein of soul and glitter rock and offers up some intense lyrical imagery; it's clearly the most personal recording they've ever done.

Steve Perry says, "As I went along a squirrelled myself in my little world and dug a little deeper into myself." Perry has always been a songwriter able to create a real mood with each song. He has a way of writing stories, frequently about edgy subjects such as abusive, drunk fathers and turning it into a catchy song that has the fans bouncing up and down and clamoring for more. If you listen to the lyrics on even the most happy sounding Daddies song, chances are you'll find something unsettling.

The CD's opener, "Diamond Light Boogie" surges along on a '70s glitter rock roller coaster with urgent lyrics welcoming the 21st century while reluctantly saying farewell to the past. Perry reminisces, "I remember glitter rock from when I was a kid. It's a nexus point between rock and dance. I miss the twentieth century already. I miss the naivete of the twentieth century. It's done. The century's over, but in this song I'm trying to say it's OK."

The song "Bleeding Ceremony," (which somewhat explains the jacket picture of Perry in a tub with knee high silver glitter boots and a samurai sword), is a metaphor about the often painful creative process and how modern life has become so confusing. Perry explains why that song was so difficult to write and why it's the most personal of all the songs. "The guy in the song cuts himself and that makes him feel cleansed. It's what you do when you hole yourself up for a year and make a record you don't think anyone is gonna buy. That's the closest 'I' to me, on the record."

"Stay, Don't Just Stay (If You're Gonna)" is a sweet, "sort of a Jackie Wilson feeling soul tune," Perry says. "Jackie Wilson makes me think of sweetness and the things I like about human beings." In fact, even through such disquieting lyrics as "I'm the one with the tumor like a flower in my brain" the CD radiates a feeling of shared history and universal feelings of friendship.

With such a vivid and forceful horn section, even the Daddies' more punchy punk songs have a swinging undertone. The new CD's swing tunes, while catchy, will leave you with a feeling of grit between your teeth. Knowing that Perry is an avid golfer, one of the swingers, "Swingin' With Tiger Woods (The Big Swing)," made me wonder if it was inspired by an actual meeting between the two talents. Alas, no, but Woods himself heard that songs and handpicked it to be on the soundtrack to his upcoming golfing video game.

"Irish Whiskey," a raucous guitar-driven punk song that was first recorded for 1996's Kids on the Street, makes a second appearance on Soul Caddy. Says Perry, "I wanted to try and get closer to that universal feeling everyone has about sentimentality. I hadn't done it right on the other record." The CD ends with the beautiful and spare piano-accompanied "The Saddest Thing I Know," a song that velvety crooner Mel Torme would have been proud to sing.

Perhaps the most marked difference between this and past Daddies' albums is not the musical diversity but the fact that the budget was finally there for the album to be made exactly the way Perry, an admitted perfectionist, wanted it to be. The changeover from band-owned label Space Age Bachelor Pad to Mojo has been relatively painless. The former independent operators didn't have to relinquish any creative control. In fact, Perry jokes that they only gave him one small set of instructions: Make a record. "They didn't tell me to make Zoot Suit 2. I made the record I wanted to make." The bigger label also meant more money to hire some incredible talent. They worked with Lee Jeffries, the pedal steel player from Big Sandy and the Fly Rite Boys. Also, renowned producer Tony Visconti, who produced T Rex, along with countless Bowie albums, lent a hand. Dewey Redman, who jammed with Ornette Colman, guested on "Saddest Thing I Know." Mark Volman, who is better known as the "Flo" part of the singing duo Flo and Eddy from Frank Zappa's group sang on "Diamond Light."

Eugene is obviously a comfortable place for the band to perform, even though the demands to their schedule don't allow them to play here all that often. After laboring in the clubs of Eugene for 10 years before hitting the big time, there are plenty of fans from the beginning who relish the manic intensity, jolting stage presence and unpredictable nature of a Daddies concert. Often, when the band plays venues in other cities, they feel obliged to provide swing tunes as they face a squadron of swing dances not knowing what to do with themselves when the spastic strains of, say, "Trapped Inside the Planet of the Roller Skating Bees" starts up.

Steve describes his appreciation of a hometown audience, "It's good because we've been writing setlists of things we want to play instead of what we feel obliged to play. We're not as worried about people's reactions here because the people here remember the old days." Whenever Eugene's favorite sons are back in town it always feels like the old days. The Cherry Poppin' Daddies play the Eugene Celebration 5:15 pm Sunday at the 5th Avenue Stage.