Lee Dorsey
Ride Your Pony
(Sundazed)

Lee Dorsey
The New Lee Dorsey
(Sundazed)

Lee Dorsey probably summed up his attitudes about life and music best when he sang, “Let’s live long and party strong.” An easy-going rascal whose personality and music instantly brought a smile to your face, Dorsey, who banged out fenders in a body shop in his spare time, became one of New Orleans’ most successful R&B/soul artists. Dorsey’s recordings, produced by Allen Toussaint, certainly benefited from the assembly line quality that they were produced under. (With 20 singles and two albums released between 1965 and 1970, I imagine there wasn’t a lot of thumb twirling during Dorsey’s sessions.) I for one feel that Dorsey’s mid-1960s work was the apex of Toussaint productions, primarily because Toussaint didn’t have the time or the resources to make “artistic” Lee Dorsey records. Certainly these recordings make an interesting comparison with Toussaint’s contemporary productions which occasionally tend to plod.

Reissues of the Dorsey’s original Amy albums that include lots of bonus tracks, Ride Your Pony primarily consists of tracks recorded in 1965. Besides the title track, hits like “Get Out Of My Life” (a favorite of mine), “Go-Go Girl” and “My Old Car” are also included. So too are mellow non-hits and LP tracks like “Can You Hear Me” and “The Greatest Love,” successfully covered by Judy Clay. Veteran session men Roy Montrell, Red Tyler, Nat Perillat, Deacon John and of course Toussaint himself are among those who supply the jogging rhythms that surround Dorsey throughout.

Interestingly, The New Lee Dorsey is a title that fits the reissue much better than the original LP because by the late 1960s, Toussaint had replaced the vets with the Meters on Dorsey’s sessions. The tracks that comprised the original 1966 album, include the awesome “Working In Coal Mine” and Holy Cow,” featured the previously-mentioned playing in a New Orleans soul bag. Interestingly, on “Little Dab A Do Ya,” one of the transition tracks, Dorsey warns Toussaint “Wait a minute now, don’t get too jazzy” while he lays down a “progressive” organ track.

The Meters laid back funk style was a good fit for Dorsey’s relaxed style and tracks like “Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky (From Now On)” and “Candy Yam” are proof. Likewise “Give It Up,” complete with Leo Nocentelli’s psychedelic electric sitar, perhaps the best Meters/Toussaint/Dorsey collaboration of all.

Both of these generous Sundazed collections are well-annotated and contain great photos and notes. They’d get a wholesale endorsement if it weren’t for the numerous Dorsey collections already available. (Arista released 20 of these tracks on Wheelin’ and Dealin’ just a couple of years ago.) Duplication aside, these CDs provide excellent listening and are a fine tribute to a legend.