Search - Wild Magnolias :: Life Is a Carnival

Life Is a Carnival
Wild Magnolias
Life Is a Carnival
Genres: Blues, International Music, Jazz, Pop, R&B
 
  •  Track Listings (16) - Disc #1

Bo Dollis and his Crescent City tribe the Wild Magnolias make quintessential Mardi Gras Indian music, brimming with the hedonistic pageantry of gaudy costumes; syncopated, "second-line" beats; and gruff, exhortatory vocals...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Wild Magnolias
Title: Life Is a Carnival
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: Blue Note Records
Original Release Date: 3/9/1999
Release Date: 3/9/1999
Genres: Blues, International Music, Jazz, Pop, R&B
Styles: Regional Blues, Cajun & Zydeco
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 724382373728, 0724382373759, 724382373759, 724382373728, 072438237372

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Bo Dollis and his Crescent City tribe the Wild Magnolias make quintessential Mardi Gras Indian music, brimming with the hedonistic pageantry of gaudy costumes; syncopated, "second-line" beats; and gruff, exhortatory vocals. Life Is a Carnival comes close to delivering the same sprawling splendor as one of the tribe's town square gigs, with only the title track sacrificing its substance to big-name tourists like Bruce Hornsby and the Band's Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, and Rick Danko. Many of the tracks are glorious, polyrhythmic jams, including the relentless "Tootie Ma" (written by Dr. John), the raucous "Herc-Jolly-John" (with everyone from Cyrille Neville to Rockin' Dopsie Jr. to Monk Boudreaux sharing the mike), and "All on a Mardi Gras Day" (which moves from a bass drum solo to some wild and woolly interplay by the Black Bottom Brass Band from Osaka, Japan). But there's also the ethereal groove of "Cowboys and Indians"; the prancing strings and brass of "Black Hawk"; the slinky, rap-inflected "Who Knows"; and the retro Creole R&B of "Battlefield." --Britt Robson

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CD Reviews

Return of Dr. John and New Orleans funk
dasmith@iei.net | U.S.A. | 04/11/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the 1970's heyday of New Orleans funky R&B, the Meters split up, the Neville Bros' sound became increasingly washed-out with atmospheric production, and Dr. John settled on a classier piano/vocal setting. This album of Mardi Gras Indian chants and new Dr. John and Cyril Neville tunes continues the tradition set by both the Wild Magnolias and the Wild Tchoupitoulas (setting the traditional chants to contemporary R&B styles) and also revives that gritty New Orleans funk sound, with some new injections that work better than I expected. Big Chief Bo Dollis handles the lead vocals with verve, while Big Chief Monk Boudreaux often frames the songs with "raps" that lend drama. There is a suspiciously high number of Japanese musicians on the album, but you would never know by listening: June Yamagishi plays a Hendrix-oriented guitar, and the The Black Bottom Brass Band of Osaka helps make Dr. John's "All on a Mardi Gras Day" perhaps the definitive recording. This is an old-fashioned album of relentless grooves and occasionally great lyrics"
Awesome Mardi Gras/New Orleans Funk
fw | New Orleans, LA | 02/09/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The new Wild Magnolias record is awesome - one of the best albums to come out of the New Orleans music scene in some time (in my opinion). The strong, scruffy vocals combined with the hard bass make for an extremely funky sound. Add in the Mardi Gras sounds, and you get some new funky music on par with the Meters, Nevilles, George Porter, George Clinton/P-Funk, Dr. John, Maceo Parker, James Brown, etc. "Party" is the best track, but to truly know how good the band is, you need to see them live."
Crank It Up!
Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 08/11/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you have never heard New Orleans "Indian" music before, prepare yourself for an energetic blast from your speakers: this CD starts off with a yelp and the energy level takes off from there. With support from New Orleans musical luminaries such as Dr. John and Cyril Neville, Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias simply tear the joint up, and the sound is dynamic and full, with plenty of midbass energy to give your woofers a workout. If you can't make it down to New Orleans for Fat Tuesday, crank this CD up and you'll be close, awfully close to the real thing--any old time of the year."