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Selected from nearly 300 Louisiana releases, Hurricane Katrina hasn’t slowed us down, our 2006 Critics’ Choice of the year’s finest musical offerings was a joint effort of OffBeat’s editors and writers.
The Top Ten
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Tab Benoit: Brother to the Blues (Telarc)
“Benoit’s country influences and proves he’s not afraid to take musical chances.”—Jeff Hannusch, May 2006
Dirty Dozen Brass Band: What’s Goin’ On (Shout! Factory)
“…a spirited parade finally erupts with the interplay and counterpoint you’ve come to expect from the band you’ve known for all these years.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed September 2006
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Kidd Jordan: Palm of Soul (AUM Fidelity)
“Kidd Jordan plays the saxophone like a master storyteller.”—Todd A. Price, reviewed August 2006
Bobby Lounge: Ten Foot Woman (Abitian)
“It is all good darkling wit and well pounded…”—Donald Miller, reviewed July 2006
Branford Marsalis: Braggtown (Marsalis Music)
“His tenor saxophone playing flirts with danger in its search for powerful, personal expression.”—John Swenson, reviewed September 2006
Ann Savoy & Linda Ronstadt (The ZoZo Sisters): Adieu False Heart (Vanguard)
“The result is music with a stark yet moving beauty that lingers on long after the listen has dissipated into the airwaves.”—Dan Willging, reviewed August 2006
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Christian Scott: Rewind That (Concord Jazz)
“This disc shouts that Scott is a trumpeter to be reckoned with.”—Geraldine Wyckoff, reviewed February 2006
the subdudes: Behind the Levee (Back Porch)
“A goofy spirit bubbles up in everything from the “nah nah nah nah nah” chorus of the island-inflected “Papa Dukie & the Mud People” to “Let’s Play.”—Cree McCree, reviewed January 2006
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Irma Thomas: After The Rain (Rounder)
“Thomas sings these songs as an adult and shows the musical and emotional wisdom an adult has to offer.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed May 2006
Allen Toussaint & Elvis Costello: The River in Reverse (Verve/Forecast)
“Much of it rocks, powered by Costello’s band, the Imposters, and augmented by Toussaint’s Crescent City Horns.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed June 2006
The Next Forty
Theresa Andersson: Theresa Andersson (Basin Street)
“On her new self-titled EP, she presents herself as a roots rock singer and it might be her most effective incarnation.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed June 2006
Astral Project: Live in New Orleans (Independent)
“Live in New Orleans is Astral Project digging into the music with unwavering verve in the comfort of its home turf.”—Geraldine Wyckoff, reviewed July 2006
Jonathan Batiste: Live in New York (Independent)
“He moves across the keyboard so easily that we forget how fast his fingers are working.”—Todd A. Price, reviewed May 2006
Lionel Batiste, Sr.: Lars Edegran Presents Uncle Lionel (GHB)
“It’s all here in a lovely collection of laid back offbeat tunes ranging from jazz standards to swing classics to Stephen Foster.”—Steve Steinberg, reviewed January 2006
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet: Live in Louisiana (Way Down in Louisiana)
“Culled from various January Louisiana Crossroads performances, these dozen tracks represent the best of the best from those magical evenings.”—Dan Willging, reviewed June 2006
Benji Davis Project: The Angie House (Bogalusa)
“Davis and his excellent band handle a range of styles drawn from the songwriter’s hook-centered pop sensibility.”—John Swenson, reviewed January 2006
Big Sam’s Funky Nation: Take Me Back (Independent)
“For most of Take Me Back, he and his extended musical relatives just want to bring the party into your home.”--Robert Fontenot, reviewed May 2006
Bluerunners: Live At The Triple Door (Independent)
“If you think this is a fan-only record, think again.”—Dan Willging, reviewed December 2006
Spencer Bohren: The Long Black Line (Valve)
“Bohren’s knowledge and taste as a guitar player lead to simple, dramatic arrangements, and he knows enough to let spare language be evocative.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed October 2006
Grayson Capps: Wail & Ride (Hyena)
“…Capps tells stories with somber undertones though the tracks are rarely heavy, and the backing has the just-loose-enough feel of his band live.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed October 2006
Cowboy Mouth: Voodoo Shoppe (Eleven Thirty)
“It would be nice if “The Avenue” and “Home” draw attention to a Cowboy Mouth album that deserves more attention than the band’s albums usually receive.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed February 2006
Deadboy and the Elephantmen: We are Night Sky (Fat Possum)
“Dax Riggs sings his richly evocative lyrics in a husky, soulful, exceedingly listenable voice.”—Michael Patrick Welch, reviewed February 2006
The Fantastic Ooze: Fusion Snakes (Independent)
“With the 10 infectious, addictive cuts on Fusion Snakes, the Fantastic Ooze may never let us forget to dance again.”—Jeremy J. Deibel, reviewed January 2006
Donald Harrison: The Survivor (Nagel Heyer)
“His fiery horn rages atop the solid backbeat, while Mulgrew Miller’s piano engages it rhythmically and melodically.”—Geraldine Wyckoff, reviewed November 2006
Hazard County Girls: Divine Amor (Rev’d Up)
“…the Girls deserve more recognition because they’re clearly a harder, more confident band than they were…”—Alex Rawls, reviewed October 2006
The Junior League: Catchy (Greensleeves Sound)
“…for power-pop fiends—and hopeless romantics who deal with rejection by rocking out—it will serve well.”—Robert Fontenot, reviewed August 2006
Chris Thomas King: Rise (21st Century Blues)
“The consummate blues man keeps growing and surprising on Rise, a heart-touching album full of musical richness.”—Geraldine Wyckoff, reviewed July 2006
Eric Lindell: Change in the Weather (Alligator)
“The arrangements here are sparkling.”—Jeff Hannusch, reviewed May 2006
Lost Bayou Ramblers: Lost Bayou Ramblers present the Mello Joy Boys (Swallow)
“The ambitious celebration of the texture of Cajun culture is what makes Lost Bayou Ramblers present the Mello Joy Boys something bigger…”—Alex Rawls, reviewed May 2006
Clint Maedgen: Clint Maedgen (Independent)
“…he forges forward in another new direction, one that utilizes electronics and the sounds of various homemade instruments.”—Jeremy J. Diebel, reviewed December 2006
The Magnetic Ear: After The Rain (Independent)
“Magnetic Ear’s take on “After the Rain” works by not overplaying its hand.”—Rob Cambre, reviewed September 2006
Delfeayo Marsalis: Minions Dominion (Troubadour Jass)
“This joyous session is a truly rewarding listening experience because its participants are all having such a good time simply playing the music.”—John Swenson, reviewed December 2006
Shannon McNally: North American Ghost Music (Back Porch)
“What is most impressive about North American Ghost Music is McNally’s willingness to take artistic chances.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed April 2006
Stanton Moore: III (Telarc)
“…shows how smart and genuinely adventurous Moore and company can be.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed October 2006
Morning 40 Federation: Ticonderoga (M80)
“The Party Band of party bands from the Ninth has a label deal, and a release that celebrates the fine art of Drinking in Public.”—Donald Miller, reviewed June 2006
Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Chas: Hang it High, Hang it Low (Rounder)
“There are no disappointments on their best effort to date.”—Dan Willging, reviewed May 2006
New Orleans Jazz Vipers: Home You’re Comin’ Back (NOJV)
“This is good stuff that reflects the current mood in our city.”—Steve Steinberg, reviewed August 2006
New Orleans Social Club: Sing Me Back Home (Burgundy/Sony)
“…when Boutte sings “Why” in the chorus, the word becomes all the questions anyone wanted answers to after the hurricane.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed March 2006
Papa Grows Funk: Live at the Leaf (Funky Krewe)
“Gros has a strong melodic sense and a garage full of performance-tested hooks…”—John Swenson, reviewed May 2006
Pine Leaf Boys: La Musique (Arhoolie)
“Their auspicious debut is not only true to the roots but has the balanced blend veteran groups shoot for.”—Dan Willging, reviewed May 2006
Quintron & Miss Pussycat: Swamp Tech (Rhinestone)
“Their intensity and commitment make the world their songs describe a real, compelling place, and one more fun than the one we live in.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed March 2006
Radiators: Dreaming Out Loud (Croaker)
“Dreaming Out Loud is about the band’s collective sound, not any of the individual instruments.”—John Swenson, reviewed June 2006
Rotary Downs: Chained to the Chariot (Independent)
“Chained to the Chariot is lyrical and has some genuinely lovely passages.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed November 2006
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town: Six Pack (Independent)
“Serpas has the requisite twang in his voice and his songs have an unassuming, country boy charm.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed September 2006
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience: Across the Parish Lines (AIM)
“With this crowning achievement in hand, Simien’s reign of creativity is far from over.”—Dan Willging, reviewed November 2006
Truckstop Honeymoon: Delivery Boy (Squirrel)
“There’s also a lot of love on the album starting with “Johnny & June,” a song that identifies the Cashes as a positive role model for their relationship.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed November 2006
Various Artists: Proud to Swim Home (Backporch Revolution)
“…if the tracks here aren’t numbing you into a trance, they are thrashing at you like violent waves of sound.”—Jeremy J. Diebel, reviewed November 2006
Rob Wagner Trio: Lost Children (Valid)
“Wagner’s compositions are logical and varied, but with a more focused and turbulent emotional core on this outing.”—Rob Cambre, reviewed March 2006
Washboard Chaz Blues Trio: Hard Year Blues (Independent)
“The band’s ability to make songs written in the Great Depression sound like contemporary material is the key to its success…”—John Swenson, reviewed November 2006
Cedric Watson and Corey Ledet: Goin’ Down to Louisiana (Valcour)
“While this album takes a lot from classic Creole legends, it captures the skills and character of these two young men as accomplished musicians in their own right.”—Christopher Courville, reviewed June 2006
Top Five Reissues
Johnny Adams: The Great R&B Album (Rounder)
“If you ever caught a 1 a.m. Johnny Adams set at Dorothy’s Medallion Lounge, you’ve got to have this.”—Jeff Hannusch, reviewed October 2006
Dr. John: Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack: The Legendary Sessions: Volume Two (Clean Cuts)
“His playing is beautiful, clean, and most importantly, patient.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed March 2006
Earl King: The Sonet Blues Story: That Good Ole New Orleans Rock and Roll (Verve)
“The album’s feel is relaxed, and it’s an excellent reminder what a great recording artist Earl King was.”—Jeff Hannusch, reviewed October 2006
Jerry Lee Lewis: A Half Century of Hits (Time/Life)
“Besides hits and should-have-been-hits from every phase of his career, it also includes a few cool oddities.”—Alex Rawls, reviewed November 2006
Various Artists: New Orleans Underground: Sounds Below Sea Level (Independent)
“Morning 40 Federation’s ubiquitous “Gotta Nickel” and Rotary Downs’ stoic, psychedelic, “Holiday Home” both put interesting production spins on well-worn forms”—Michael Patrick Welch, reviewed March 2006
Published January 2007, OffBeat Louisiana Music & Culture Magazine, Volume 20, No. 1.
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