Music
Marc Broussard: S.O.S. IV: Blues For Your Soul (KTBA Records)
With a portion of the proceeds from each of Marc Broussard’s S.O.S. philanthropic album series benefitting a different nonprofit, his latest installment targets Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, which “fuels the passion for music by funding national relief grants and music education programs for students and teachers.” Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation’s founder is none other than blues-reining superstar Joe Bonamassa, who co-produced Blues For Your Soul and contributed his searing guitar on four cuts.
Krasno Moore Project: Book of Queens (Concord Jazz)
Soulful, contemplative and full of warmth, drummer Stanton Moore and guitarist Eric Krasno’s first-ever studio recording sees the frequent collaborators tackle instrumental renditions of songs made famous by a range of women vocalists, from Amy Winehouse to Kacey Musgraves to Nina Simone.
Callie Hines: Tell Me Why I’ve Come Home (EP)
Folk singer and Louisiana native Callie Hines creates a feeling of classic Americana with tinges of bluegrass and country in their newly released debut EP, Tell Me Why I’ve Come […]
Smoking Time Jazz Club: 6 Blueses, 5 Joys and A Stomp! (Independent)
After a couple of releases as the side project The Secret Six, the musicians in the Smoking Time Jazz Club are back with their effervescent lead vocalist Sarah Peterson on a new collection of traditional-minded blues and jazz.
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.
Various Artists: Fritzel’s Jazz Pub (Independent)
Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub, which is located on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, bills itself as a the place “Where Jazz Lives!” The club has recently released two albums chronicling live performances in the intimate space just off the hubbub of the city’s most touristic street.
Rusty Metoyer: Unlike Any Other (Independent)
Rusty Metoyer has been on an upward trajectory in zydeco for some time, but when a senior statesman like Chubby Carrier dubs him the “hot new zydeco band,” do take note. Praise from a colleague and fellow competitor doesn’t come lightly.
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.
The Amazing Nuns: A Falling Knife Has No Handle (Independent)
Considering that Lafayette’s The Amazing Nuns is in its 21st year, the group still manages to stay underground and undiscovered by the rest of mainstream generica. In years past, the art rockers maintained a higher profile by gigging more regionally, once as far as Mobile.
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.
