NPR.ORG 6/18/2007
By Marc Silver
Monday's Pick
* Song: "You Are My Sunshine"
* Artist: Marva Wright
* CD: After the Levees Broke
* Genre: Blues
Marva Wright calls herself "The Blues Queen of New Orleans," and she's got plenty to be blue about. Hurricane Katrina wrecked her house, she lost everything she owned, and her hometown was a mess. Wright, who fled the city the day before the storm struck, considered never returning. But in the end, New Orleans pulled her back.
Wright says that she's still so distraught that she can't write songs about what happened, but she sure can sing about it. Her up-and-down relationship with the devastated Big Easy seeps into every track on her new album, After the Levees Broke — even the love songs. When she wraps her raw and gritty voice around "You Are My Sunshine," it's abundantly clear that she's not talking about a guy who makes her happy when skies are gray. She's talking about a city.
Her bittersweet cover exudes Crescent City spirit. Horns pump out a jaunty staccato line that conjures up a street parade. Beloved local pianist Davell Crawford adds plenty of bluesy licks, with a little gospel flavor tossed in for a sanctified undercurrent. A honking sax adds a pinch of old-school R&B. All the while, the queen's regal delivery puts Mother Nature on notice: Don't you dare take her sunshine away.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11119106
----------
AARP Magazine 6/18/2007
by Richard Gehr
Marva Wright, After the Levee Broke (AIM International)
"I got outta my bed, stepped in water to my knees," sings blues belter Marva Wright in the autobiographical "The Levee Is Breaking Down." Wright lost everything in the post-Katrina flood and this emotional album is her testament to dashed dreams, the memory of good times, and hopes of returning to New Orleans.
----------
HYBRID MAGAZINE 06/20/2007
The continuing saga of a wholly irreverent new way of reviewing albums! It's like sitting in a room with a bunch of jaded music critics and getting a snapshot of how they feel about an album. Honesty and first impressions are the key to the Bargain Basement.
(opinions expressed may not hold true after repeated listenings to albums)
Marva Wright - After The Levees Broke
Aramis: Nice blues New Orleans-style. Gritty and soulful numbers about the debacle of Katrina. Awesome voice.
Porthos: I'm very glad Marva & Benny Turner made it out of Katrina. Wish this disc hadn't.
Athos: The blues, well-done - hurricane force. Never cover Bruce Hornsby... NEVER.
D'Artagnan: Decent New Orleans blues. /can't believe it was made in Australia.
http://www.hybridmagazine.com/basement/index.shtml
----------
SOUNDS ROOTS 6/7/2007
When you think of blues, Cuban dance music, and reggae, and classic Jamaican ska, you naturally think of a setting involving kangaroos, right?
No? Well then you may not have in your hands the latest releases from AIM International. It's an odd trio with little musical overlap but lots of soul. These releases aren't even showing up on the AIM website yet (though the official US release date was in May), so here's a first glance.
First, Cubanismo -- a project that began after the band played Australia's East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, the nation's largest outdoor festival. The result is the 11-song album Greetings from Havana. The release of the album gives US audiences a taste of what they've been missing out on, since the US government has not allowed Cubanismo to play in the US for the last four years.
Also caught up in US politics is blues diva Marva Wright. It's not hard to guess the pervading topic of her new album, called After the Levees Broke. Katrina and its aftermath make for great blues fodder, particularly considering that Wright and her band members lost everything in the storm. The songs include "The Levee Is Breaking Down," "Katrina Blues," and the gospel-tinged "Change Is Gonna Come," which takes on a poignant new meaning in a post-Katrina context.
Rounding out the trio is the new Skatalites CD, On the Right Track. It's only the second album of originals from the band, which is better know for their ska covers of songs ranging from the Beatles to James Bond. The sound is vintage Skatalites, though some of the song names reflect the album's origins: "Outback Ska," "Uluru Rock," and "Outback Dub."
Says keyboard player Ken Stewart: "Some say all island peoples have a similar vibe about them. Oz is a big island but similar vibe, and although there's plenty of modern stuff, you get a feel of the ancient with the Aboriginal culture and seeing species of animals that exist nowhere else on earth."
Kudos to AIM for these projects. I can't wait to hear what they come up with next.
----------
<- Back to Projects
Song of the Day
By Marc Silver
Katrina Makes Marva Wright Sing the Blues
Monday's Pick
* Song: "You Are My Sunshine"
* Artist: Marva Wright
* CD: After the Levees Broke
* Genre: Blues
Marva Wright calls herself "The Blues Queen of New Orleans," and she's got plenty to be blue about. Hurricane Katrina wrecked her house, she lost everything she owned, and her hometown was a mess. Wright, who fled the city the day before the storm struck, considered never returning. But in the end, New Orleans pulled her back.
Wright says that she's still so distraught that she can't write songs about what happened, but she sure can sing about it. Her up-and-down relationship with the devastated Big Easy seeps into every track on her new album, After the Levees Broke — even the love songs. When she wraps her raw and gritty voice around "You Are My Sunshine," it's abundantly clear that she's not talking about a guy who makes her happy when skies are gray. She's talking about a city.
Her bittersweet cover exudes Crescent City spirit. Horns pump out a jaunty staccato line that conjures up a street parade. Beloved local pianist Davell Crawford adds plenty of bluesy licks, with a little gospel flavor tossed in for a sanctified undercurrent. A honking sax adds a pinch of old-school R&B. All the while, the queen's regal delivery puts Mother Nature on notice: Don't you dare take her sunshine away.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11119106
----------
AARP Magazine 6/18/2007
by Richard Gehr
Marva Wright, After the Levee Broke (AIM International)
"I got outta my bed, stepped in water to my knees," sings blues belter Marva Wright in the autobiographical "The Levee Is Breaking Down." Wright lost everything in the post-Katrina flood and this emotional album is her testament to dashed dreams, the memory of good times, and hopes of returning to New Orleans.
----------
HYBRID MAGAZINE 06/20/2007
The continuing saga of a wholly irreverent new way of reviewing albums! It's like sitting in a room with a bunch of jaded music critics and getting a snapshot of how they feel about an album. Honesty and first impressions are the key to the Bargain Basement.
(opinions expressed may not hold true after repeated listenings to albums)
Marva Wright - After The Levees Broke
Aramis: Nice blues New Orleans-style. Gritty and soulful numbers about the debacle of Katrina. Awesome voice.
Porthos: I'm very glad Marva & Benny Turner made it out of Katrina. Wish this disc hadn't.
Athos: The blues, well-done - hurricane force. Never cover Bruce Hornsby... NEVER.
D'Artagnan: Decent New Orleans blues. /can't believe it was made in Australia.
http://www.hybridmagazine.com/basement/index.shtml
----------
SOUNDS ROOTS 6/7/2007
Cuban, Ska, & Blues... Down Under (CD Reviews)
When you think of blues, Cuban dance music, and reggae, and classic Jamaican ska, you naturally think of a setting involving kangaroos, right?
No? Well then you may not have in your hands the latest releases from AIM International. It's an odd trio with little musical overlap but lots of soul. These releases aren't even showing up on the AIM website yet (though the official US release date was in May), so here's a first glance.
First, Cubanismo -- a project that began after the band played Australia's East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, the nation's largest outdoor festival. The result is the 11-song album Greetings from Havana. The release of the album gives US audiences a taste of what they've been missing out on, since the US government has not allowed Cubanismo to play in the US for the last four years.
Also caught up in US politics is blues diva Marva Wright. It's not hard to guess the pervading topic of her new album, called After the Levees Broke. Katrina and its aftermath make for great blues fodder, particularly considering that Wright and her band members lost everything in the storm. The songs include "The Levee Is Breaking Down," "Katrina Blues," and the gospel-tinged "Change Is Gonna Come," which takes on a poignant new meaning in a post-Katrina context.
Rounding out the trio is the new Skatalites CD, On the Right Track. It's only the second album of originals from the band, which is better know for their ska covers of songs ranging from the Beatles to James Bond. The sound is vintage Skatalites, though some of the song names reflect the album's origins: "Outback Ska," "Uluru Rock," and "Outback Dub."
Says keyboard player Ken Stewart: "Some say all island peoples have a similar vibe about them. Oz is a big island but similar vibe, and although there's plenty of modern stuff, you get a feel of the ancient with the Aboriginal culture and seeing species of animals that exist nowhere else on earth."
Kudos to AIM for these projects. I can't wait to hear what they come up with next.
----------
<- Back to Projects
Copyright ©2008 
Katrina Blues