Music
Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind: Behind the Veil (Gulf Coast Records)
o matter what lofty accomplishments and accolades Jason Ricci has reaped over his illustrious career, he’s become a product of his Crescent City environs, his home for over a decade. The preeminent harp howler has collaborated and performed with many of the city’s best: Papa Mali, The Iguanas, Eric Johanson, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Anders Osborne, Johnny Sansone, Dean Zucchero, and others. In 2021, Ricci and pianist, organist Joe Krown released one of the year’s hippest albums in City Country City.
Brock Wimberley: Here & Now (MaxiLou)
You might call this an “unplugged” set from an artist who wasn’t very plugged-in in the first place. On his previous three single releases, local songwriter Brock Wimberley did an appealing mix of low-fi pop, backing himself up with skeletal keyboards and percussion. On this EP he strips all the way down, using almost nothing but multiple overdubs of his own voice.
Frenchie Moe: Soul Full Tonight (Independent)
You know you’ve really become a New Orleanian when you write a song called “Gator Bags a Beaver,” especially when that’s a love song. This is the second local release by European blues woman Frenchie Moe, who moved here after working with some of the R&B old guard from the U.K. And it shows she’s really internalized her hometown, with a distinctly funky approach to the blues.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram: Live In London (Alligator Records)
A Grammy-winning blues star at twenty-four years old, Mississippi’s Christone “Kingfish” Ingram documents his blues power in Live In London. Leading his trio—drummer Christopher Black, bassist Paul Rogers and keyboardist Deshawn “D-Vibes” Alexander—Ingram makes a mighty stand at The Garage, a long-running indie-rock venue in Highbury, north London.
Mitch Woods: Friends Along the Way (Deluxe Edition) (Club 88 Records)
Nearing four decades into his career, pianist Mitch Woods once again showcases his talent through his latest album, Friends Along the Way.
Parchman Prison Prayer: Some Mississippi Sunday Morning (Glitterbeat Records)
Since 2009, music producer Ian Brennan has focused on recording underrepresented regions of the world, including prisons, like Malawi’s overcrowded maximum-security Zomba prison. Brennan believes inmates are typically the most silenced and ignored segment anywhere, regardless of country.
Dami: Almost Home (Independent)
Dami, the up-and-coming rapper from New York who has been finding his place in the New Orleans music scene for the last three years, has released his debut EP, Almost […]
Honey Island Swamp Band: Custom Deluxe (Color Red)
The live and studio versions of Honey Island Swamp Band have always been very different: Onstage it’s all about stretching out, and I’ve seen them play a full Jazz Fest set with only four songs. Studio albums are for keeping the songs concise and varying the groove from track to track. Their sixth full-length is no exception but may be the strongest one yet, coming after a six-year recording break that brought changes in both label and personnel.
The Secret Six Jazz Band: Centennial Tribute To King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (Independent)
The Secret Six Jazz Band is at it again. Barely ten months after the release of their fourth album, Chicken You Can Roost Behind the Moon, clearly the most prolific neo-trad band in New Orleans is back with a new one, recorded live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on April 6, 2023.
Troy Sawyer: Rock Your Soul (Independent)
The cover photo of trumpeter Troy Sawyer’s debut album—the artist at his doorstep, barefoot, grinning broadly and holding a sno-ball—perfectly sums up the feel of the album. It’s a disc that exudes equal parts local color and good spirits.
