Musicians in New Orleans wear many hats. Bassist Robert Snow makes his bread playing an upright in trad jazz bands, and has fun playing electric bass with King James and the Special Men. Snow also comes from a musical family. His father, Sidney, who appears on the album, is a well-regarded veteran guitarist around town.

Snow’s songwriting alter ego, Kid Eggplant, has released a self-produced album showcasing some inventive songs that feature many of the musicians who make up the tight knit Frenchmen Street scene. However, there are also a couple of tunes on Big Trouble in Little Chalmette that may leave people scratching their heads. 

The album kicks off with a bang with “Caught You Slipping In.” The tune is an instant classic that will have people bopping along from the first notes of Snow’s bass. The theme is universal, a lover who tries to sneak back home without getting caught, but the chord changes and lyrical rhymes make the cut a modern R&B gem.

“Jelly Donut” takes the listener back to the girl group era, complete with supple backing vocals and a stellar guitar solo from Sidney Snow. Robert Snow and Linnzi Zaorski trade lead vocal lines in the style of Shirley and Lee and they both do a wonderful job bringing the listener into a world where love is compared to a variety of pastries, including in this gem of a couplet, “When I first saw you, I had to stop and stare, you reminded me so much of a chocolate éclair.”

The musicianship on the album is strong across the board with great vocal work from Marla Dixon and sax work from Dominque Grillo, Ted Hefko and Bruce Brackman. But credit has to go to Snow for the songs, which make the record one worth hearing.