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The Blind Boys of Alabama
Down in New Orleans
(Time Life)
First Appeared in The Music Box, January 2008, Volume 15, #1
Written by John Metzger
Mon January 28, 2008, 02:00 PM CST
Even if the recent slate of cross-collaborations between The Blind Boys of
Alabama and the contemporary stars of rock and pop haven’t been completely
successful, it’s still rather refreshing to witness a nearly 70-year-old gospel
group that is willing to take a few risks with its work. While its pairings with
Ben Harper, John Legend, and Blackalicious’ Gift of Gab might have felt as if
they had been forced into place, they also went a long way toward raising the
vocal troupe’s profile. On its latest foray Down in New Orleans, The
Blind Boys of Alabama doesn’t forsake the notion of pushing its music into new
spaces or seeking assistance from other artists. This time, however, there
aren’t any moments when the group appears to be distracted by its associates. In
fact, the resulting endeavor unwinds so naturally that one is left to wonder
why, with all of the wandering that The Blind Boys of Alabama has done over the
past decade, it took the ensemble so long to venture onto this particular path.
Although the core trio that supports The Blind Boys of Alabama — keyboard
player David Torkanowsky, drummer Shannon Powell, and bassist Ronald Guerin —
maintains an unobtrusive profile, it nonetheless succeeds in its efforts to keep
the music on Down in New Orleans quite malleable. Meanwhile, the rotating
cast of special guests — The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Hot 8 Brass Band,
and legendary pianist Allen Toussaint — provides plenty of color and texture to
the proceedings, combining horns and strings to evoke the impassioned, joyous
atmosphere of a Crescent City church service.
Not surprisingly, the arrangements on Down in New Orleans settle
mostly upon a lively blend of jazz, blues, and soul that shimmies and shakes as
it moves from the funky refrains of Free at Last to the
banjo-and-tuba-driven testifying of You Got to Move to the brassy bliss
of Uncloudy Day. Yet, the ballads are equally strong: The Blind Boys of
Alabama not only wrenches genuine anguish over the world’s suffering from
Mahalia Jackson’s If I Could Help Somebody but also provides comfort to
the lost and lonely narrator of Curtis Mayfield’s A Prayer.
The liner notes to Down in New Orleans indicate that The Blind Boys of
Alabama stepped outside its comfort zone and had to adapt its style to fit the
loose, flowing rhythmic propulsion that is typical of the Crescent City’s
musical heritage. Whatever the collective did couldn’t have been too difficult,
though, because Down in New Orleans is a rapturously uplifting set of
salvation-seeking spirituals that likely would be considered a classic outing,
if only it had been issued several decades earlier.  ½
Down in New Orleans is available from
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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