Various Artists - Our New Orleans Benefit Album for Gulf Coast (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

Down But Never Out

James Morris | Jackson Heights, NY United States | 12/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A wonderful mix of NOLA soul, R & B, Jazz and almost everything New Orleans, the Nonesuch release Our New Orleans just goes to show you that down does not necessarily mean out. The artists here are telling us that they and their music are still around, thanks, a fact most of us suspected would come to pass even through our shock and our grief at the horrible losses.

The problem with many "benefit" albums that offer play lists of "various" numerous artists is that the bands usually cover a broad range of styles, and sometimes such divergent sounds crash headlong into each other. Worse, such efforts sometimes come off as trite, patronizing to their cause or even indifferent.

Happily, this is not the case with Our New Orleans. The material, whether Jazz, Cajun, Creole, Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, Second Line or whatever, all have one common current running through their collective wires - the spirit of New Orleans. And the love if it.

As others have pointed out, picking out a favorite from so many first-class tracks is next to impossible. Just because Irma Thomas happens to be one my favorite vocalists of all time, doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other first-rate performers here to make us jump around the room and celebrate. Celebrate what? I don't know - celebrate those who made it, I guess, and give those who didn't a real New Orleans tribute. From the familiar to the revelations (and there were a few revelations for me hiding in this album) all the participants give 1,000%. It wouldn't be fair to single out any unless I mention that every performance is as heartfelt as it is hearty.

One of the revelations for me (for I was not heretofore familiar with the singer or the song) was TOU' LES JOURS Ç'EST PAS LE MÌME, a burning Creole bouncer by Carol Fran.

And any album that proffers the song Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans is a winner in my book. Originally warbled by the great Billie Holiday to Louis Armstrong in the motion picture New Orleans (1947) I got chills when I noticed it was being performed here by the venerable Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Since the day Katrina hit, I have been singing snatches to myself in a kind of macabre search for the perfect New Orleans swan song. But of course, we always knew the survivors would bounce back...

Do you know what it means

To miss New Orleans

And miss it each night and day

Well I know I'm not wrong

The feeling's getting stronger

The longer I stay away

Miss those moss-covered vines

The tall sugar-pines

Where mockingbirds used to sing

And I'd like to see the lazy Mississippi

A hurrying about to spring

The moonlight on the Bayous*

Those Creole tunes that fill the air

You know I dream about magnolias in bloom

And soon I'm wishing that I were there

Do you know what it means

To miss those Red Beans

When that's where you left your heart

And there's one thing more

I miss the one I care for

More than I miss New Orleans

*Billie Holiday sings this line as:

"The Mardi Gras, the memories

Of Creole tunes that fill the air"

Our New Orleans is highly recommended!

"

Beautiful, moving set and a great cause

Travis Dubya McGee Bickle | Texas Quail Hunting Camp | 12/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Somehow, despite being an extremely fervent admirer of Randy Newman, I'd become slightly jaded about "Louisiana 1927"...I'd heard it too many times, in too many crummy versions, to the point where it had become almost corny, a trope. With Katrina and its aftermath though, it lives again, and I am reminded what a brilliant and beautifully crafted piece of work it is. There's a lovely, grief-laden take on it here...

Although I've only listened to this once, the highlights that stood out are too numerous to neatly encapsulate here. But, having said that, listen for: the Donald Harrison sax solo on "Wonderful World", the forlorn Buckwheat Zydeco track, "Crying in the Streets", with great, wailing, sorrowful guitar work from Ry Cooder, and Irma Thomas's take on Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues" (where's Irma been lately?)...And oh, Dr. John's weary, resigned "World I Never Made" and Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can", a perfect opening salvo - if you ask me, there can never be enough versions of that song in the world.

Great music and a chance to do a good deed (all proceeds go to Katrina-related causes)? Sign me up, Coach!"

Five stars isn't enough, give it a universe of stars

O. J. Dean | Texas, USA | 01/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am rendered speechless by this album. I put this CD on for backround music while I was reading because it would remind me of home. When the song "Tou' les jours ?'est pas la m?me" came on I could no longer concentrate on my book, it aroused so much emotion in me. It is definitely rare for a song (actually, the entire album) to be able to do that and now I can't stop listening to it. This is a most powerful experience. Do not miss out on this album."

The Best Album I've Ever Purchased

E. F. Pretus | Metairie, LA | 12/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I live in Louisiana, and naturally, these old tunes (and the musicians who perform them) hold a place very near and dear to me. This album, however, has the most moving renditions of the old classics I've ever heard.... from "Yes we can can" to "Back Water Blues".. Unlike other tribute albums that have been released since the storm, this is not merely a collection of old recordings. Every song was recorded by New Orleans artists -- many of whom lost their homes -- in the weeks immediately following Hurricane Katrina... and the raw emotion that comes through in each performance brings new life and new meaning to old music. Each piece is incredibly moving and well performed. Beyond the simple fact that the proceeds from the CD will benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, this is a must-buy CD for the simple fact that it reflects some of the very best of what New Orleans has to offer in music and culture. Before anyone writes-off New Orleans as just another washed-out city, they must hear this album!"

Who does the downtrodden blues better than New Orleans?

Aaron L. Shaw | Provo, UT USA | 12/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful album. It collects the best sounds of the south under one roof for the healing of New Orleans. Listening to this, you feel like you are in New Orleans feeling thier pain and feeling like you can and should do something about it. This album will uplift you, and soothe you. It helps to remind America of the rich musical sounds that could come from no other place in the world than New Orleans. It reminds us why we love the place and why we should all treasure that beautiful land. Songs like Yes we can can will have you feeling peppy with its base player and snappy drummer and vocalist. The world I never made will make you feel like you are in a piano bar sippin iced tea in the heat of summer. Great album. Great. Great. Great."

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