Den of the Cyphered Wolf

Monday, May 21, 2012

Album Review: Doctor John: Locked Down



Dr. John
Locked Down
3.5/5



Guess who's back. Back again. The Wolf is back tell a friend.

Yeah. It's been a while since I reviewed a new album, partially because of life stuff and partially because most of what's been coming out is indie pop, and I'm not really qualified to review indie pop. It's not my style and I know it. Read the Florence and the Machine review.

So this time I'm taking up some good ole New Orleans R &B. Now, it's not my forte either but I dig it enough to be a little less biased.

Dr. John is a legend and unfortunately I'm a bit new to him. Before this album my only exposure to him was the 101 Dalmatians soundtrack and his role as himself on Treme.

That and his Muppet caricature.

All that said I dig this album. "Big shot". It's got heart and groove and I have to say that is hard to pull off. A lot of the modern blues and jazz acts I've come across can get an endless groove feeling easily but it seems to lack heart. That's not the case here. Most of the songs here have a sort of tragic feel.

Not sad and not wallowy, but tragic, like a, "It ain't pretty, but this is my life. It's all I got as much as I might hate it." feeling. Or that might just be me.

Who the hell knows .

But then again that is one of the points of blues, to tell life's story in all of its ugly beautifulness.




And off the beaten path I go. It's hard, really hard to get past the smiles and laughs and handshakes, to get past all that bullshit and move people by the other side of the coin. Because mostly most folks don't want to hear it or tell it, like there is something wrong with feeling pissed, or afraid, or sad, when all of that is just part of being human. We all have our bullshit, every single one of us. And maybe admitting it can help us keep the demons of our minds at bay.



It takes guts and skill to actually move people and well this album has moved me.

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