CD Reviews

Chris Thomas King

Rise | 21st Century Blues

By TED DROZDOWSKI | July 18, 2006

3.5 Stars

King’s music has ricocheted from the Louisiana juke joints (into which this son of Tabby Thomas was practically born) to rock halls with his album Red Mud (Black Top) and onto the big screen, where he played bluesman Tommy Johnson in O Brother, Where Are Thou? But he’s never sounded more at home than on this sadly beautiful album, which mourns and celebrates New Orleans culture. He lost his home and office to Katrina, but here he dwells on the greater tragedies of the storm and its aftermath, creating a complex cycle that’s buoyed by 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” — examines the trials of spirit that came with the high waters. He explores the nature of justice, the federal government’s blindness to the unfolding disaster, and the moral compromises that many needed to make in order to survive. He also gives a few Crescent City classics new meanings. His take on “St. James Infirmary” reflects on the city’s musical history as well as the loss of life caused by the hurricane. And the joyful lyrics of the closer, Louis Armstrong’s sweetly upbeat “What a Wonderful World,” provide ironic counterpoint to the pain and suffering chronicled elsewhere.

On the Web
Chris Thomas King: http://www.christhomasking.com/

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Topics: CD Reviews , Louis Armstrong, Chris Thomas King, Chris Thomas King, More

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