Music
Karma & the Killjoys: Hellscape (Independent)
Obsessive love–there, I’ve got your attention—is always a rich topic for a pop song. And Baton Rouge band Karma & the Killjoys make good use of it in their album’s opener, “Fate is You.” With its pounding piano and pleading “whoa-oh’s,” it spotlights the dramatic delivery of singer/songwriters Sydni Myers and Rain Scott-Catoire (the latter also on piano). The sentiments may be a little dark—not many love songs ask the beloved to point a pistol at the singer’s heart—but it’s also a shimmering bit of pure pop.
Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia: Blood Brothers (Gulf Coast Records)
If you know Zito’s work, you know he’s too tasteful to make this an album of endless guitar showdowns.
Big Easy Rick & N’awlins: Lucky Dog (Independent)
Big Easy Rick (real name Rick Windhorst) is in fact so crazy about his hometown that he runs the risk of getting carried away: “New Orleans Sunday Afternoon” makes that time and place sound like nothing short of heaven, “Hugga Bugga Choo Choo” celebrates the street music he grew up with, and his song about Jazz Fest, “Ain’t Been to the Fest,” could double as an ad for the event. Even the couple of love songs (including the title track, about meeting his wife) sneak in some local color.
Dash Rip Rock, Cowpunk (Whiskey Tan)
When a veteran band re-cuts songs it first recorded two or three decades ago, you can usually expect the new versions to be slow and sluggish by comparison. Not the case with Dash Rip Rock, who make a point of honor to play these tunes faster and wilder than they did originally. Take “DMZ” which appeared on their 1986 debut and opens this new set: The original was a feisty rockabilly, this one’s a full-on frenzy. And the new tempo seems better suited to the song’s still-timely lyrics about living in a dangerous neighborhood.
Clint Pigg, Dead Man Walking (Independent)
Doesn’t sound like singer, guitarist Clint Pigg feels too good about himself, to judge from his album’s opening title track.
Jimmy Carpenter, The Louisiana Record (Gulf Coast Records)
Covers albums always have a couple of built-in booby traps. You play it too close and there’s no point; you take too many liberties, and you may wind up trashing the songs you love. The best way out is just to assemble a good band and play it like you mean it, not worrying too much about whether you sound like someone else’s record. That’s what saxophonist Jimmy Carpenter and his crew have done on this set of oft-recorded (mostly) Louisiana classics.
Sonia Tetlow, Better Days (Independent)
The post-COVID landscape should be a fertile one for a thoughtful singer-songwriter, but it still seems that few have been willing to jump in. When Sonia Tetlow writes a song called “Kicked the Covid”—and includes the line, “But it’s true, it kicked me the first”—she proves to be the perfect one for the job.
Craig Cortello, Dog Tales (Independent)
Craig Cortello is a cheerful alt-rock guy who called himself the “Canine Crooner” and does indeed fill this CD with songs about dogs. And if that sounds like a cue for a novelty album, guess again: Though mostly lighthearted, this set celebrates the good hearts and nobility of dogs. In other words, it’s an album of love songs.
Serabee, Hummingbird Tea (Rabadash Records)
Though you’ve probably never heard of Serabee, she’s already had quite the career: in the early 2000s she had three major-label albums (under the name Sera Buras); two were produced by Gary Katz of Steely Dan fame and one track was co-produced by Peter Gabriel.
Tyron Benoit, Waitin’ on Friday (Independent)
Tyron Benoit’s debut is without doubt the best swamp-rock album ever to open with a Cure cover. His version of “Just Like Heaven” is surprisingly faithful—even with his accordion taking […]
