Search - Tommy Malone :: Poor Boy

You ll learn a lot about Tommy Malone s world after hearing his third, and arguably finest solo album, Poor Boy. In the course of these 11 songs old flames get recalled, destructive friendships get ended, and true love gets rekindled. There s room for serious reflections, sharp observations and pure fun. The spirit of his New Orleans home can be heard between the lines. And as always, Malone displays a master songwriter s knack for making these personal tales sound universal.

Malone s musical roots run deep, from the formative bands Dustwoofie, the Cartoons and the Continental Drifters, the last of which spawned the beloved, long-running Subdudes. In more recent years there have been collaborations with his older brother Dave, a mainstay of the Radiators and lately Raw Oyster Cult; and the satisfying but short-lived supergroup Tiny Town. But parts of Poor Boy find Malone revisiting his very first musical inspirations: You May Laugh has an unmistakable British Invasion feel that harks back to the night in February 1964 when a seven-year-old Tommy and his two brothers sat in their New Orleans living room, seeing their future on the Ed Sullivan Show. And yes, Tommy s quoting a Beatles song title in the bridge of You May Laugh is entirely intentional.

One of the few cover tunes he s recorded, Big Brother sounds like a timely bit of commentary but of course it was written in 1972 by Stevie Wonder and appeared on Talking Book, the first album Malone ever bought and still a favorite of his. The arrangement here is quite different from Wonder s, with guitars replacing keyboards and Malone s impeccable slide subbing for harmonica. But the original spirit is intact; with a vocal that was nailed on the first take. And he looks forward while looking back, using drum loops on a record for the first time. That freaked me out a little at first, he admits. But it worked sonically so I figured, what the hell Let s surprise some people. Wonder s pointed lyric didn t need any updating.

Some longtime musical partners are back on Poor Boy, including co-writer Jim Scheurich a former Dustwoofie bandmate who also contributed to a handful of songs on Malone s last album, the much-acclaimed Natural Born Days. Also making a welcome reappearance is Ray Ganucheau, who played bass on Malone s 2001 solo debut Soul Heavy and toured with him behind that album. He became an integral part of Poor Boy co-producing, engineering, singing backups and playing a raft of instruments. Coincidentally Ganucheau was in the 90s version of the Continental Drifters, which descended from Malone s group of a decade earlier. Representing yet another Drifters lineup is drummer Russ Broussard, who joined that band in the later 90s. His work since then, whether playing gritty blues with Johnny Sansone or shimmering pop with his wife Susan Cowsill, has marked Broussard as one of the city s most inventive drummers. Completing the core band is keyboardist Sam Brady, a key part of Malone s road band over the past year.

The players rock & roll roots get a workout on All Dressed Up ( a party song for geriatrics!, Malone says) and Bumble Bee, a Nashville collaboration with old friend Pat McLaughlin. The latter tune features a buzzing guitar solo that Malone calls the flight of the 12-string . Time to Move On and We Both Lose tie up some personal loose ends, but do so with forgiveness here and hard-won wisdom. There s a touch of Southern gothic on Crazy Little Johnny, and some seductive late-night ambiance on Pretty Pearls. And Malone s at his most soulful on Talk to Me, which catches a relationship at a make-or-break moment. Like the rest of Poor Boy, it gets straight to the heart.