New Orleans' most famous, well-traveled, and recorded
brass band celebrates its 25th anniversary with its ninth release. Best known in
rock circles for contributions to albums from
the Black Crowes,
Elvis Costello, and especially
Widespread Panic (with whom they toured and whose
John Bell appears as guest vocalist on a track), the hotshot horn men offer few surprises on this disc predominantly comprised of popular Crescent City classics. But why bother stretching boundaries when their sound remains unique, stimulating, and inspiring? Adding a full-time keyboardist and guitar fleshes out but doesn't dilute the seven tooting horns as they tear through an inspired if slightly obvious set of covers from hometown legends
Aaron Neville (
"Tell It Like It Is"),
the Meters (
"Africa," "Cissy Strut"),
Irma Thomas (
"Ruler of My Heart"), and
Dr. John (
"Walk on Gilded Splinters," "Junko Partner") with infectious enthusiasm. Guests range from sacred steel guitar master
Robert Randolph -- whose soaring, hair-raising solos on three tracks infuse even more goosebumps than the already nail-biting musicianship -- to
Dr. John on vocals and piano,
DJ Logic (adding nifty scratching doesn't appreciably update
the Dozens' down-home approach), and jazzman
Olu Dara. Sexy chanteuse
Norah Jones gets slinky on the most sensuous version of
"Ruler of My Heart" ever recorded, and
Dr. John's gritty vocals make the slow-groove version of
Allen Toussaint's
"Everything I Do Gon' Be Funky" even better than
Lee Dorsey's original. But no matter how often you've heard these tunes,
the Dirty Dozen's crackling second-line rhythms, bumping tuba basslines, and uncanny ability to shift from boiling low-down gumbo to
cool jazz make the versions here essential listening.
"It Ain't Nothin' but a Party," as they say in the appropriately titled opening track. ~ Hal Horowitz
