CD Reviews
By Staff Music WritersDr. Michael White
Blue Crescent
Basin Street Records
The emotions of the music composed in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were raw, flowing with anger, sadness, and frustration. It’s much more challenging to capture the essence and diversity of the mood of the city nearly three years later. In his latest recording Blue Crescent, Dr. Michael White captures those wide ranging emotions of renewal, loss, joy, fatigue, reflection, longing, and hope ever so brilliantly. Dr. White’s long lineage of connection to musicians of all ages gives him a wealth of experience from which to draw. “I find I’m a little more able now to put life’s emotions and feelings into the music,” said White, a recent recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship award. “King of the Second Line” pays tribute to the late brass band icon Ernest “Doc” Paulin, the title track Blue Crescent is a New Orleans ballad, and “Sunday Morning” gives a sense of the now extinct church parade tradition. “Katrina” is a masterful dirge that uses various instruments to tell different stories, allowing the pauses to reflect the eerie silence of the city immediately after the storm. A compelling audible story told by one uniquely qualified to tell it. –Craig Cortello
Lowry
Love Is Dead
ThunderBitch
New York-based quartet Lowry centers around namesake Alex Lowry and his synthesized folk project, which begs the term psychedel-acoustic. Lowry’s fifth album is nothing short of his previous “best of” list topper Awful Joy in 2005; a delicate, spacey trip to a luscious, percussive dream world, this latest release is complete with amorphous instrumental breakdowns wrought with eerie psychedelics and Eastern influences, such as the classic Indian drone. One of the album’s most striking qualities is the seamless vocal harmonization of Alex and fellow singer Heidi Sidelinker, an emotive melt of Alex’s words and the passion behind them. For example, never has the phrase “you ruthless bitch” sounded so poignantly soulful as from the blended mouths of these two vocalists. At times, the music can seem a little too typical singer-songwriter, but it is the collage of extra percussion and guitar effects, whining and seizing from one song to the next, that reminds listeners why this album sounds so out of this world. –Carolyn Heneghan
Conchita Campos
So It Goes
Independently Released
Summer may have found its soundtrack since Conchita Campos released her debut EP, So It Goes. The Filipino-American is breaking into the music scene and bringing an original sound with her. An interesting mix of jazz and folk, punctuated with the strum of acoustics, the track offers a breezy sound that is perfect for the laid-back listener. So It Goes begins with an infectious and funky beat in “Just Time,” while “Runaway Day” is more bright and cheerful. Each song that follows is carefree, light, and perfectly complimented by the soulful vocals of Conchita Campos. Since the CD is only 7 songs long, it is a quick pick-me-up for any slow summer day. –Suzanne Pfefferle
Swank Sinatra
Joseph Merrick Was A Handsome Man
Self Released
Swank Sinatra is reviving rock and roll with their powerful and in-your-face debut EP, Joseph Merrick Was A Handsome Man. The trio, originally from Georgia, is already sweeping across the South, gathering fans as they go, largely because of their energetic and intense performances. Their new CD offers every indication that they are someone you would want to see. Joseph Merrick Was A Handsome Man is fast-paced, funky, and alive. The strong vocals and clever lyrics are backed by the fiercely talented musicians on drum and guitars. Although they are not what you would expect based on the name of their band, Swank Sinatra’s debut record is a highly entertaining listen. –Suzanne Pfefferle
Gravy
Said and Done
Blue Eye Dog
Gravy is a surprisingly young group, something worth noting considering the band’s new album, Said and Done sounds like a group of musicians who has been on the scene for a while. This rock-funk quartet’s skilful display of musicianship is on every track. The slide guitar hook on Dorsey is in the same vein as blues-rock outfit The Black Keys, and their infusion of genres is evident on The Pullout, which gives the immediate feel-good vibe that The Funky Meters are known for. Everything this band is capable of is summed up on track nine, "Cool with That," which begins with a jazzy drum intro, a perfect walking bass line, and a soft, playful touch of the keys that leads into a fun theme. This album is truly entertaining, and these natives of our great city are a reminder that not only do we have our own thing going on down here, but that there are musicians to perpetuate a groove that is here to stay. –Brian Serpas
Smoky Greenwell and the Blues Gnus
Between Iraq and a Hard Place
Southland Records
Smoky Greenwell is a local treasure and a Frenchmen Street mainstay. You can hear him regularly at Café Negril, wailing on the harmonica and honking on tenor sax, backed by his all-star band. On this CD, he serves up a good mix of original compositions and standards penned by Little Walter, Bo Diddley, JJ Cale, Don Nix, and others. Backed by Mark Penton on lead guitar, Greg Hodges on rhythm guitar, Andre Miritato on bass and Garland Wilson on drums, with two cuts each featuring Marc Adams on organ and Margie Perez on vocals, Greenwell explores new dimensions on this recording, including a venture into politics. The title track is a clever play on words, as it lambastes the federal response to Katrina and the war in Iraq. While “houses are in shambles” and “crime is on the rise, why do we waste billions on a war that’s based on lies?” Greenwell wonders. Aside from this track, most of the CD is straight-up blues, with a few rollicking R&B and rock standards thrown into the mix. Greenwell runs the full gamut of notes on his arsenal of harps in every key, squeezing out sparks of sound with controlled abandon. He is simply one of the best. The other band members shine as well, especially Penton who measures up favorably against Duane Allman on the closing track, “One Way Out,” and Perez who is more than up to the considerable challenge of covering Etta James on “Tell Mama.”
–Dean M. Shapiro
Jerry Jumonville
You Are My Dream
Carryon Records
You name ‘em, tenor saxophonist Jerry Jumonville has played with ‘em. Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Big Joe Turner, Dr. John . . . the list goes on and on. One of the most sought-after session men on the L.A. music scene in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Jumonville now holds court every Monday night, 6-10 p.m. at the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street. On this CD, Jumonville offers up 11 tracks of mostly straight-ahead, bebop-style jazz. Backed by Steve Armstrong on guitar, Spike Perkins on bass and Freddy Staehle on drums, Jumonville is at his incomparable best with seven original compositions and creative interpretations of such classics as “Harlem Nocturne,” “The Masquerade is Over,” and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis’ “Leapin’ on Lennox.” Jumonville dexterously explores the full range of his instrument, effortlessly alternating octaves and inviting comparisons with Davis, Coltrane and other great saxmen of the bebop era. Armstrong is given ample opportunity to shine, with smooth, well-defined solos on all but one of the tracks. Unfortunately, though, the other two musicians aren’t given their moments in the sun. Staehle, one of the best drummers around, has only a brief solo on “Groovin’ After Midnight” (my favorite track, along with “Harlem Nocturne”) and is barely heard on many of the other tracks, while Perkins has no solo at all and is also relegated to deep in the background. Other than those shortcomings, this is a great CD that solidifies Jumonville’s standing as one of the best latter-day jazz craftsmen on the local scene.
–Dean M. Shapiro