Music
Dee-1: I Hope They Hear Me Vol. 2 (Independent)
A lot has changed in the year since Dee-1 released his last mixtape I Hope They Hear Me Vol. 1. He’s become one of the hottest underground acts and his track “Jay, 50 and Weezy” has gone viral, becoming one of the most talked-about songs in hip-hop.
Loose Cattle: Somebody’s Monster (Single Lock Records)
Though they recorded it well in advance, I doubt we’ll hear a song that speaks for post-election America better than this album’s opener, “Further On.” The lyrics’ message is simple—“I thought we’d be further on than this”—and while it states the dashed hopes that many of us are feeling, it comes down that much stronger on the case for peace, love and understanding.
Naughty Professor: Voices (Independent)
Sounds like Naughty Professor have found their direction, and not the one you expected if you had them pegged as a post-Meters/Galactic funk/jam band. True to its title Voices is a vocally oriented album but the real surprise is the musical style. There’s no jamming, no shredding and very little hard funk; instead, this is a set of smooth, chillout-style R&B. They flirted with that direction on their last album Identity and jumped in wholeheartedly this time.
Marcella Simien: To Bend to the Will of a Dream That’s Being Fulfilled (Swamp Soul Records)
To say this is the most radical project Marcella Simien has ever done would be the understatement of the year. Other than DJ QEMIST supplying the beats for “Yogananda’s Affirmation” and co-producing the track, it’s only her on the remaining nine cuts, no Memphis-based funk-soul band this time.
Little Freddie King: Things That I Used to Do (Newvelle Records)
Three minute, 12-bar, Delta style blues remain the staple of guitarist and vocalist 84-year old Little Freddie King. Born in Mississippi and the cousin of the famed Lightnin’ Hopkins, King’s honest approach to the genre has remained true throughout and has been embraced by local audiences during the many years he has called New Orleans his home.
Sean Ardoin and Kreole Rock and Soul: 25 Back To My Roots (Zydekool Records)
If you weren’t too hungover and bleary-eyed from this year’s New Year’s Eve Celebration, you might have witnessed Sean Ardoin’s “Mardi-Gras-on-steroids” performance at the Rose Bowl Parade New Year’s morning. What a way to kick off another activity-packed year, which includes Ardoin launching his signature brands of coffee. It also marks the multi-Grammy nominee’s 25th Anniversary as a solo artist. Ardoin recorded 25 Back To My Roots that consists of eight originals co-written and mostly co-produced with his talented son Sean Ardoin II to commemorate the quarter-of-a-century milestone.
Dale Dolese Band: Sugar & Fire (Independent)
Does New Orleans need another funk-rock album with Meters/Radiators grooves, lots of chant-along choruses, and songs about hanging out on Frenchmen Street and costuming for Mardi Gras? Well, it just got one, and a pretty good one at that.
Michael Wolff: Memoir (Sunnyside Records)
Pianist and composer Michael Wolff, who beyond his acute abilities as a leader, has performed and/or recorded with an ace list of jazz artists including saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Cannonball Adderley, bassist Christian McBride and many more. He might be most widely recognized as leading the band for the now long-defunct late-night television program “The Arsenio Hall Show.”
The Tanglers: Gators in the City (Independent)
It’s been a whopping eight years between albums for local bluegrass band the Tanglers, who made a promising debut with Backwards Burner in 2016. Back for the sophomore effort is nearly the same lineup, but with an evolved musical approach—less traditional and more into progressive bluegrass.
Devin Johnson: The Future is So Near (Independent)
There was a time when reviewers applied the word “quirky” to every pop record that was just a little eccentric. But local songwriter Devin Johnson is quirky and proud of it. He made a small mark locally with a single called “Trump Ruined My Sex Life” (not included here), which was funny enough if you could find any humor in the subject matter.
