The music of the Mardi Gras Indians relies heavily on the visual aspect of performance. The vibrant beadwork and brilliant feathers complemented by the bounding athleticism of the dance creates nothing short of a virtual feast for the eyes.

So how do you make an album that captures the spirit of the Indians without being able to see the performance? Chief Smiley Ricks’ answer is simple; percussion, drums, and maybe some more percussion.

Feathercraft contains a large dose of second-line rhythms, Indian percussion, and call and response shout choruses that work extremely hard to bring Super Sunday to your living room. In many respects, Smiley and friends succeed in this pursuit. Donald Harrison, Jr., produced the album and has brought in a diverse array of New Orleanians to add color to the recording.

Besides Harrison’s alto sax and keyboards, the core band includes such all-stars as Craig Klein on tuba and trombone, Gregory Boyd on steel drums, Chris Mule on guitar, Walter Harris on bass drum, Andrew McLean on tabla drums, and Ivory “Wild Man” Holmes lending powerful vocals.

It is the rhythmic grooves, not the melodies that dominate the ten tracks of the album. The album chooses to focus on creating blizzards of percussion rather than melodic pop sophistication. As a result, listening to Feathercraft will no doubt influence your hips to swerve, but will not have you lustfully singing along in the shower.

There is one exception to that, however. The final cut, Second Line Remix is a wonderfully melodic tune that includes guest luminaries Johnny Vidacovich on drums, James Singleton on bass, and Mark Stone on guitar. Chief Smiley Ricks’ playful vocals detail a day meeting up with a host of brass bands and Indian tribes in the city.

Every time he mentions a band he hollers out a chorus from one of the band’s more familiar tunes, and goes into a Van Morrison-like “ladeedahdah” sing-a-long that will be running through your head long after the party is over. It’s an instant Mardi Gras classic.

While it would be impossible for an album to match the intensity and beauty of a live Mardi Gras Indian parade, Feathercraft does occasionally transcend the studio to enter your rhythmic subconscious.