Homeland
Crescent City keyboard virtuoso Henry Butler has electrified and energized his recent recordings, mixing large portions of funk into the proceedings. The sound is a far cry from the sublime acoustic simplicity of his classicBlues After Sunset, but it has its own attractions, and producer Dave Pirner, a fellow New Orleans resident best known as the frontman forSoul Asylum, exhibits them well. Tunes like the acidic "Casino," a hard-edged, guitar-punctuated protest of the tourist focus that is slowly strangling NOLA's music scene, serves to illustrate Butler's musical abilities outside his signature syncopated piano artistry. Veteran guitarist Vasti Jackson, who has worked with everyone fromZ.Z. HilltoC.J. Chenier, provides the perfect foil for Butler's keyboard work while also deftly reinforcing his R&B-flavored; vocals on songs like the live-set favorite "I Stand Accused." Butler reverts to his earlier style for several keyboard excursions, such as "Ode to Fess," his tribute to New Orleans piano legendProfessor Longhair, and "Henry's Boogie," a sparkling showcase for his percussive piano approach.--Michael Point