Dr. John - Locked Down

New Orleans favorite son, Dr. John, has had a fantastic career, making some amazing r'n'r, r'n'b, soul and NOLA-flavored sounds. Of course, he had a huge hit with "Right Place, Wrong Time", but his Hoodoo/Voodoo soundtracks have been a fave in my household for decades.

Here he collaborates with the Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach as producer and guitarist and continues with a variation on his classic tones. Not an imitation of previous records, but certainly with the essence.

Everything here is solid, but I particularly dig the Gris-Gris feel in "Big Shot" (nice horns and female backing vocals), the soul/funk of "Ice Age" (cool keyboard work here), the funky blues of "You Lie" and the soulful gospel of "God's Sure Good".

There are times when the Black Keys' influence comes to the forefront, such as in "Getaway", but it blends well with the Doctor's funky rhythms and totally works (and Dan pulls off a raucous solo here, as well).

This is a solid outing from the Mac Rebbenack - recommended!