N'Awlinz Dis, Dat, or D'Udda
Mac Rebennack took his stage name from the voodoo healer Dr. John and became a '70s pop star by recasting New Orleans's myth and music in his own psychedelic image. At 63, he's again revamped the Crescent City sound, minus the acid-trip trappings, for his best album in decades. With its string, horn, and Afro-Latin percussion sections and its slate of re-imagined classics,N'Awlinzis a masterful summation of Dr. John's abilities as a leader and performer. Guests such asWillie Nelson,B.B. King, andMavis Staples, plus a roster of Louisiana luminaries includingRandy Newman,Nicholas Payton,Snooks Eaglin,Gatemouth Brown,Dave Bartholomew, andEarl Palmer, all make winning contributions. In Dr. John's grasp, "When the Saints Come Marching In" becomes a stately waltz that twines his elegant piano and gravel throat with Staples's rich, red-clay gospel singing. And he honors the spirit of standards like "Stackalee" and "St. James Infirmary" while spinning his own lyrics and melodies into them. "Time Marches On" (with King, Nelson, and theDirty Dozen Brass Band), "Life is a One Way Ticket," and several spirituals contemplate mortality, but never interrupt the graceful, upbeat flow of this late-career opus.--Ted Drozdowski