A lounge band from Texas covers one of the most famous protest anthems of the 1960s. That really shouldn’t work.

Tony Rey & The Librarians had been active in Texas since 1970. The lineup reads like a dream: flugelhorn, piano, percussion, two female singers, and a bandleader named Tony Rey. 

On At Ramada Inn Northline, the group takes on well-known songs of the era, including Stephen Stills’ classic “For What It’s Worth.”

The result, however, has very little to do with Buffalo Springfield’s protest music. Kathy Petro and Judy Kaufman glide through the song with ease and lightness, while the Hammond organ provides warm summer vibes. Everything sounds relaxed, groovy, and so pleasantly laid-back that you almost forget how serious the original actually was.

California turns into Texas, and a protest anthem becomes a groovy, cosy cocktail lounge tune.

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