Mercenary - Dr John,The Lower 911 Album Review

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Album Review

Johnny Mercer is best known for huge hits like Hooray For Hollywood, Moon River, Days Of Wine And Roses and co-founder of Capitol Records. New Orleans jazz fusionist Mac Rebennnack, aka Dr. John, respectfully tackles some of the songs that are imbedded in the American national psyche and folklore. That ol'Orleans magic comes into play with almost everything Dr. John touches, and this is not exception. From the start it has to be said it's bold move on his behalf, because you invariably know that the outcome will be different to the original, particularly with classics like Moon River from hit film Breakfast At Tiffany's. Overall, it's a peculiar blend of jazziness and popular hits, though it shows that Dr. John has both the capability, and more importantly, the credibility to conquer the daunting task of making them believable all over again. Originally an idea by daughter Tina, who initially suggested a cover of Personality, it blossomed into a full album's worth of material. With possibly one thousand's worth of Mercer material at his disposal, he's plucked a good range to re-work. Starting with a swampy blues style accompanied by steel guitar, he soon ventures into a masterful interpretation of Blues In The Night as the Lower Third swing into a funky jazzy shuffle. You Must Have Been.... is virtually unrecognisable, not that it matters as the Doctor adds his southern drawl to the chorus - check the 'beauuuutiful baby'. The shuffling wonder of I'm An Old Cow Hand, a lightweight instrumental, leads to a cabaret style keyboard - lead Dream. Big hit Moon River is handled with great care and attention, now re-worked into a steady funky jaunt, again cleverly transformed by his unique voice and stylings. Jazzing it up for the close, Save The Bones For Henry Jones closes a classy collection, effortlessly doing justice to a great songwriter.

Elly Roberts