Music
Corey Ledet Zydeco: Médikamen (Nouveau Electric Records)
If you haven’t noticed by now, Corey Ledet is on a mission to burrow deeper and deeper into his Creole culture. On his 2021 album Corey Ledet Zydeco, the zydeco accordionist revealed his passion for Kouri-Vini, a French lexified Creole language and the native tongue of his father CJ and other family members. On that pivotal 2021 recording, Ledet sang five songs in the language and vowed every song would be in Kouri-Vini from then on. With Médikamen, he holds true to that promise. All songs were recorded in his cultural idiom.
The Ladies Of…: Coming Out of Our Tenderness (Independent)
Admittedly I’m not all that familiar with James Hall’s career—which includes numerous solo and band projects over the past 30 years, along with a few years’ residence in New Orleans (and an OffBeat cover, August 1993)—and I’m not a huge fan of rap/rock crossover. So, I clearly wouldn’t be in the target audience for Hall spearheading a new rock/rap crossover project.
Max Bien Kahn: When I Cross it Off (Mashed Potato)
Never underestimate the ability of a good pop song to put a little sunshine into the day. Tuba Skinny member Max Bien Kahn works in that realm when outside of his regular band; on two previous albums (with the ad-hoc band Max & the Martians) he wrote about covid shutdown and romantic breakups, using buoyant pop tunes for reassurance. This official solo album is notably more upbeat and more fully produced; not every lyric is happy but there’s a prevailing sense of good vibes.
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 […]
