Music
Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys: Elmore James For President (CSB Roxy)
If you think it’s been a while since you’ve seen a Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys full-length studio recording, you’re probably right.
Charles Lloyd: The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note Records)
Saxophone giant Charles Lloyd’s new album, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, his 11th on the Blue Note label, opens dramatically with just the mellow, tonally plush sounds of drums provided by “our own,” Shreveport, Louisiana native Brian Blade.
Father Ron & Friends: Forever the Seasons (Louisiana Red Hot Records)
Father Ron Clingenpeel is both a genuine clergyman (a retired Episcopal priest) and a genuine scholar of folk music; he hosts a folk show on WWOZ and here presents an album of original and borrowed songs steeped in the classic influences of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.
Bobby Rush: Undercover Lover (Deep Rush Records)
At 90 years of age and no signs of becoming a Lifeline subscriber, R&B-blues-soul entertainer Bobby Rush became a living legend long ago with his trio of Grammys, including this year’s All My Love For You, 27 studio albums, and eight decades of action-packed performances.
Mr. Misled: Settle the Score (single) (Independent)
Mr. Misled, the “vanity project” of Metairie-based Chris Rico, has returned with a new nü-metal-esque effort via the single, “Settle the Score.”
Lynn Drury: High Tide (Independent)
With her last album Dancin’ in the Kitchen, Lynn Drury showed how to write an uplifting album about life during shutdown. Appropriately her new one is largely about getting back into the world and features an outgoing sound to match.
Erica Falls & Vintage Soul: Emotions (Independent)
Without a doubt, Erica Falls has the vocal range, modulation and passionate delivery to really belt out a song. Her New Orleans background, that style that leans towards old-school rhythm and blues and soul rather than contemporary, makes her very accessible to wide audiences especially those who enjoy hitting a dance floor.
Zoomst: Aboard the Good Ship (Independent)
Here’s a good argument that you can make any existing form of music more interesting by New Orleans-izing it. Zoomst is very much a prog band, with obvious influences that go back to the best of progressive rock’s ’70s heyday.
Sean Riley & the Water: Stone Cold Hands (Pugnacious Records)
Compared to his 2018 debut EP, Biting Through, guitarist and songwriter Sean Riley does a complete artistic makeover on his first full-length outing produced by no-nonsense Zen master Dean Zucchero, who also thumped bass on these proceedings.
Jamal Batiste: Beatz N’ Vibez, Vol. 1 (Independent)
When you think of Jamal Batiste, what comes to mind is tight, funky, in-the-pocket drumming wrapped up with good energy and spirit. That’s exactly how Beatz N’ Vibez, Vol 1, his fourth album kicks off.
