Down in New Orleans
The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - CD
- Artist: The Blind Boys of Alabama
- Format: CD
- Year: 2008
- Number of Discs: 1
- UPC: 805520030335
- Item Number: PID003033
- Release date: 02/05/2008
- 1. Free at Last
- 2. Make a Better World
- 3. How I Got Over
- 4. You Got to Move
- 5. Across the Bridge
- 6. You Better Mind
- 7. Down by the Riverside
- 8. If I Could Help Somebody
- 9. Uncloudy Day
- 10. A Prayer
- 11. I've Got a Home
- 12. I'll Fly Away
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Down in New Orleans by The Blind Boys of Alabama on CD
The Blind Boys of Alabama, who originally formed back in 1939, have had an amazing seven-decade career, one that has seen them release their own brand of gospel on every possible medium the history of recording has to offer, from 78s and LPs to eight-track tapes, cassettes, and CDs, and the consistency of their sound and approach through all of this makes them a venerable national treasure. What's even more telling is that their newest album, the Chris Goldsmith-produced Down in New Orleans, is one of the best the Blind Boys have ever done. Led by original member Jimmy Carter, whose raspy voice has aged into an expressive, earthy delight, the Blind Boys take a Crescent City route here, working with veteran New Orleans musicians like the legendary Allen Toussaint and a solid, push-and-pull rhythm section of David Torkanowski (piano), Roland Guerin (bass), and Shannon Powell (drums) with help from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Hot 8 Brass Band. The result has a joyous, lightly funky feel that reaches back into the long history of traditional Southern gospel even as it updates that tradition with some well-chosen and spiritually compatible secular material. The opener, a version of the old chestnut "Free at Last," swings in exactly the right way, emerging as a lightly funky reaffirmation of everything the Blind Boys have always stood for, and truthfully, everything here has that tone and feel, even though the group tackles a wide variety of songs, including Earl King's "Make a Better World," a pair of songs associated with the great Mahalia Jackson, "If I Could Help Somebody" (featuring Toussaint on piano) and "How I Got Over," country crooner Jim Reeves' "Across the Bridge," and Curtis Mayfield's "A Prayer." Given that New Orleans soulfulness that Crescent City musicians seem to deliver as easily as drawing breath, Down in New Orleans is a sheer delight, uplifting and funky and full of a rare kind of joy. One could say welcome back Blind Boys of Alabama, but these guys have been doing this all along, and that they can deliver one of their best albums 70-some years into their career is nothing short of amazing. Better to burn out than fade away? Don't tell these guys that. They're a testament to the fact that you don't need to do either of those things. You can instead just go out and make great music over and over again. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi
- Artist: The Blind Boys of Alabama
- Format: CD
- Year: 2008
- Number of Discs: 1
- UPC: 805520030335
- Item Number: PID003033
- Release date: 02/05/2008
- Label: Proper
- Genre: Religious
- Style: Gospel, Black Gospel, Southern Gospel, Contemporary Gospel, Traditional Gospel
- Album Time: 43:00
- 1948-1951
- Amazing Grace
- Atom Bomb
- Atom Bomb
- Bridge Over Troubled Water [Liquid 8]
- Clarence Fountain and the Blind Boys of Alabama with Sam Butler
- Collection 1948-1951
- Collectors Edition
- Deep River
- Down in New Orleans
- Duets
- Enlightenment
- Five Blind Boys of Alabama/I Saw the Light
- Go Tell It on the Mountain
- Go Tell It on the Mountain
- Go Tell It on the Mountain [Bonus Track]
- God Will Bless You
- Gospel for the Lord
- Gospel Legacy
- Have Faith: The Very Best of the Five Blind Boys of Alabama
- Higher Ground
- Higher Ground
- Holdin' On
- Holdin' On
- I Brought Him with Me
- I Saw the Light
- I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord [Bonus Tracks]
- If I Had a Hammer
- Jesus Rose With All the Power in His Hands
- Oh Lord, Stand by Me
- Original Blind Boys
- Power of the Lord: The Early Recordings 1948-1951
- Praying Time
- Precious Lord
- Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand
- Retrospective
- Revisited
- Sacrifice
- Sanctify My Soul: 25 Gospel Greats (Import)
- Spirit of the Century
- Spirit of the Century
- Take My Hand Precious Lord
- Tesoros Navidenos
- The Best of the Blind Boys Of Alabama/Clarence Fountain
- The Best of the Five Blind Boys of Alabama [Liquid 8]
- The Legacy
- The Sermon
- There Will Be a Light
- There Will Be a Light
- This Is Gospel, Vol. 3
- This Is Gospel: The Best Of
- Walk with Me Dear Lord
- Working for the Lord
- You'll Never Walk Alone/True Convictions
- Take the High Road
- Platinum Gospel: Five Blind Boys of Alabama
- Take the High Road
- Composers:
-
Performers:
- Benjamin Jaffe - Tuba
- Bennie Pete - Tuba
- Carl LeBlanc - Banjo
- Harry Cook - Drums (Bass)
- Ronald Guerin - Bass (Upright), Bass (Electric)
- Sammy Cyrus - Drums (Snare)
- Allen Toussaint - Piano
- Alvarez Huntley - Trumpet
- Ben Moore - Vocals
- Billy Bowers - Vocals
- Caleb Butler - Vocals
- Darryl Adams - Sax (Alto)
- David Torkanowsky - Organ (Hammond), Keyboards, Piano
- Eric "Ricky" McKinnie - Vocals
- Jerome Jones - Trombone
- Jimmy Carter - Vocals
- Joey Williams - Vocals
- John Brunious - Trumpet
- John Gilbert - Sax (Tenor)
- Keith Anderson - Trombone
- Ralph Boyd Johnson - Clarinet
- Raymond "Taff" Williams - Trumpet
- Shannon Powell - Drums
- Tracy Pierce - Vocals
- Tyrus Chapman - Trombone
-
Credits:
- Allen Toussaint - Guest Appearance
- Alvarez Huntley - Guest Appearance
- Bas Hartong - A&R
- Benjamin Jaffe - Guest Appearance
- Bennie Pete - Guest Appearance
- Carl LeBlanc - Guest Appearance
- Darryl Adams - Guest Appearance
- Harry Cook - Guest Appearance
- Hot 8 Brass Band - Guest Appearance
- Jerome Jones - Guest Appearance
- John Brunious - Guest Appearance
- John Gilbert - Guest Appearance
- Keith Anderson - Guest Appearance
- Ralph Boyd Johnson - Guest Appearance
- Raymond "Taff" Williams - Guest Appearance
- Sammy Cyrus - Guest Appearance
- Tyrus Chapman - Guest Appearance
- Chris Clark - Cover Art, Artwork
- David Gorman - Package Design, Cover Design
- Felix Wohleben - Production Assistant
- Albert E. Brumley - Composer
- Ben Moore - Group Member
- Ben Sandmel - Liner Notes
- Billy Bowers - Group Member
- Caleb Butler - Group Member
- Charles Driebe - Executive Producer
- Earl King - Composer
- Eric "Ricky" McKinnie - Group Member
- Gavin Lurssen - Mastering
- Jimmy Carter - Group Member
- Jimmy Hoyson - Audio Engineer, Mixing, Engineer
- Joey Williams - Group Member
- Marion Williams - Composer
- Mark Gooch - Photography
- Mike Jason - Executive Producer
- Shannon Brinkman - Photography
- Tracy Pierce - Group Member
- Traditional - Composer
- Chris Goldsmith - Audio Production, Arranger, Producer
- Paul "Scooby" Smith - Engineer
- Wesley Fontenot - Engineer
