Music
Big History, All At Once EP (Independent)
So, just for fun-shine and joy-bows, indulge me in a hypothetical. Imagine you have the power of a major international media conglomerate fully behind you. Right at your fingertips: record […]
Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole, Le Soleil Est Levé (Independent)
Cedric Watson helped make the Pine Leaf Boys stars in the emerging Cajun/Creole “new wave,” recording a CD with the band, Blues de Musicien, which was quickly nominated for a […]
Camile Baudoin and the Living Rumors, Old Bayou Blues (Threadhead Records)
The band name for the long-time Radiators’ guitarist tells the story. Old Bayou Blues is the sound of friends sitting around on a porch in a living room singing songs […]
Corey Ledet, Do You Want More? (Independent)
When Corey Ledet sings about going back home on the freewheeling opening track, one has to wonder if this first generation/Clifton Chenier style of zydeco is indeed his home. Out […]
Lawrence Walker, Essential Collection (Swallow Records)
Along with Iry LeJeune and Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker played an integral part in Cajun music’s accordion revival in the early ’50s. He was such a smooth, precise player that […]
Burke Ingraffia, Jazz Animals (Independent)
“If you want to play it smart / you’ve got to dumb it down,” Burke Ingraffia sings on Jazz Animals, and that sentiment looms over the album. “Checks and Balances” […]
Elespee and Prospek, Quantumetaphysicadillac Music (Guerilla Publishing Company)
Like OutKast’s flagship Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and Isaac Hayes’ soul odyssey “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic” before it, Elespee and Prospek’s Quantumetaphysicadillac Music pushes musical boundaries and puts the urban landscape in perspective. “Morality’s a luxury […]
e.company, On (Independent)
On marks the first release of New Orleans’ own e.company, a quintet of young, skilled instrumentalists crafting intricate jazz and funk-steeped songs. The band cut its’ teeth on Frenchmen, playing […]
Steve Cropper, Dedicated: A Salute to the 5 Royales (429 Records)
This is an all-star CD, and most all-star CDs are disappointing. Nevertheless, I couldn’t wait to hear this one. With B.B. King, Sharon Jones, Delbert McClinton, Bettye LaVette on board, […]
Big Pearl, Double Faces (Independent)
The band name and cover art are pleasantly misleading. They suggest that this will be more in the Janis Joplinesque mode that singer Lani Ramos initially made her calling card, […]
