Rise
Louisiana bluesman Chris Thomas King's brilliant and beautifulRiseis an ode to New Orleans and its people after Katrina. These 11 songs ricochet between hope and tragedy, creating a emotionally complex cycle that's buoyed by his carefully considered performances--full of weeping electric guitar melodies and his gentlest, most soulful singing. The opening King-penned trilogy "What Would Jesus Do?," "Faith," and "Baptized in Dirty Water" essays the tests of strength and spirit that came with the floodwaters. King examines the nature of justice in these songs, raising questions about the federal government's blindness to the unfolding disaster and the moral compromises many needed to make to survive. He's also given some Crescent City classics new meaning. His take on the chestnut "St. James Infirmary" reflects on the musical history of New Orleans as well as the loss of life caused by the hurricane. And when Louis Armstrong's sweetly upbeat "What a Wonderful World" closes the album, its joyful lyrics provide an ironic counterpoint to the pain and suffering King chronicles as the rest ofRise's thoughtful songs unspool.--Ted Drozdowski