Marva Wright - After The Levees Broke

A repost by request:

I must admit that I am still incapable of listening to the first two tracks here without shedding tears. The whole album is a bit gut wrenching for me. Not only does it evoke powerful images of Katrina (in which both she and I lost everything), but it is also the last album before her untimely death. That said, I'd have to call this album her masterwork. It certainly helps that seemingly every musician who was in town at the time of these sessions showed up with axe in hand. Together they made a bit of magic amidst the wreckage of our collective nightmare.

Glenn Gaines, manager of Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias, had a large hand in organizing this project. Glenn has done a fine job making sure that the world will always remember Big Chief Bo and I believe he has done the same here for Marva. Different participants produce different tracks, but I believe that Glenn and Peter Noble had the big vision of the project here and they have succeeded admirably. 

Those powerful first two Katrina tracks come from Benny Turner and from there the album is full of lovely surprises. Tell me that when Marva begins That's Just The Way It Is you don't get a little tingle as she transforms the song into a powerful statement. Funny Not Sunny Kind of Love is just a jaw dropping wonder, the gospel tracks with the Crawfords are brilliant, the Toussaint touch is all over the second line treatment of You Are My Sunshine, and then there is Willie Nelson's Crazy....

Musically as consistently top shelf as it gets, powerful and well delivered emotional content, great twists and turns in feels and styles -- superior performances by the main artist -- Can someone PLEASE tell me how THIS album didn't win multiple Grammys?

update: I'm listening to the album now and it still makes me cry, but it's good for the soul. I couldn't help polishing up the review a bit too.

Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias - 1313 HooDoo Street

New Orleans looses another giant today - the greatest Mardi Gras Indian singer the world has ever known has passed, but we will never forget him. Thankfully his manager Glen has kept his promise to Bo and made sure that he leaves us a strong recorded legacy - I imagine that at least one or two more will appear in the next couple of years.

Oddly enough, despite the cover, this one is not primarily a Mardi Gras Indian album; at least not to the degree that most other Mags albums are. On this album arranger Wardell Quezergue chose to focus on Bo Dollis as a New Orleans R&B singer.
 The song choices are unlike any other Bo Dollis album and the results?.......check it out, it is one of MY favorites!

Marva Wright - Bluesianna Mamma & I Still Haven't Found...

With  these two AIM releases we have covered pretty much all the Marva there is outside of a Christmas album that I've never seen. AIM released this pair of mid 90's sessions in 2001 after their original issues had long since vanished. The consistency is not quite up to the later AIM albums, but there are still plenty of highlights and even the less interesting songs kick the crap out of most singers.

Marva Wright - Marva

It is a ridiculously cold morning here in New Orleans and the forecast is for the temperature to continue to drop all day - businesses, schools, offices, everyone is closed and I acknowledge that I've been deterred from attending morning coffee, I have a mental picture of Cliff sitting there by himself that is causing me some guilt, but I am a weather wimp when it comes to cold and wet. I think I'll just stay here where it is warm and dry and listen to Marva.

Posting 'After The Levee's Broke' got me looking through the AIM cover where I noticed that there were 3 more Marva albums on AIM that do not overlap all the Marva that I've already posted! I'm ecstatic! Somehow I was unaware that her relationship with Glenn Gaines and AIM went all the way back to 1995. This was the first to arrive, but chronologically it is the 3rd of the AIM discs, it is from 2000 and it is a killer! Like the Levee's album there are great guests and good production too. I can't wait to hear the next 2!