Some of you may have noticed that I'm rather taken with this album; I've had an advance copy more or less since the year began, and it's held steady at either #1 or #2 in my music journal ever since.
Well, it releases today. My full review is
here. And you should all plan on going out to pick it up today.
Here's what you need to know about it. Joe Henry produces it. Allen Toussaint-- who is known for his funky, soulful R&B and rock songs-- steps WAY out of his comfort zone and, at the age of 71, makes an album that's quite unlike any other that he's made. It's almost entirely instrumental-- he sings on only one song-- and the tracks are all vintage jazz and gospel tunes, all of them written in or about the city of New Orleans. The band includes Marc Ribot, Jay Bellerose, David Piltch, Joshua Redman, and Brad Mehldau. And while all of these songs are familiar, you've never heard them played quite like this before; the band lets loose with no particular reverence for history or genre, instead turning these performances into outbursts of pure joy, invention, and spontaneity.
If you like music, you will like this album. DGP and bloop, in particular, should just go ahead and clear a space at the top of their year-end lists. This album is seriously one of a kind-- contagiously joyful, full of wonder and imagination, and utterly liberating. Don't miss it.
