Record Exchange Boise

Reviews:

Here's a tragic irony for you: The destruction of New Orleans has, in the short run, been an undeniable boon to music fans. In little over a year, we've seen two top-notch discs from Dr. John, the impeccable all-star benefit Our New Orleans, even a great album from Fats Domino. Meanwhile, musical treasures like Allen Toussaint are, of necessity perhaps, touring harder than ever. A cynic might even say that the catastrophe's been a good career move for lots of jazz and blues musicians'"if, you know, their homes and livelihoods hadn't been utterly destroyed.

But here's one thing we can certainly say'"Harry Connick Jr. wouldn't be releasing two CDs on the same day if Katrina hadn't come to do her voodoo. Oh, My NOLA is Connick playing to the cheap seats, confusing corn and kitsch, whipping up versions of "Hello Dolly" and "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey." Chanson du Vieux Carre, by contrast, is Connick the aesthete, cut back in 2003 under the auspices of Marsalis Music and now hitting the stores you-know-why. The bandleader doesn't even sing here, delegating vocal duties to trombonist Lucien Barbarin and trumpeter Leroy Jones.

Sure, Connick's not always the champion you'd prefer, but he offers up not just two sides of Connick here'"a riposte, mayhaps, to those who've always dismissed him as one-dimensional. Nope, Harry's also dishing out two sides of New Orleans music itself, which could always push crowd-pleasing to the verge of crass if that's how you could make enough money to play the music you love. Except here, a share of the proceeds go to charity.