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Here are reviews of new CDs by acts coming soon to a stage near you.
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, “The River in Reverse” produced by Joe Henry (Verve Forecast)
In 1970, Allen Toussaint released “On Your Way Down,” which became one of the New Orleans pianist’s signature tunes, covered by numerous artists. Thirty-six years later, the song has found perhaps its ideal use, as the leadoff track for “The River in Reverse,” a collaborative effort between Toussaint and Elvis Costello. ”On Your Way Down” was a cautionary tale about certain comeuppance: “It’s high time you found/ The same people that you use on the way up, you might meet up on your way down,” goes the chorus. “The River in Reverse,” an album inspired by Hurricane Katrina and, even more so, the botched response, is all about comeuppance for corruption and incompetence. Costello – who, in his punk days, sang “I’m Not Angry” with a good bit of irony – is no longer cloaking his anger, nor sadness and disillusionment. “The River in Reverse” practically begs for god, Mother Earth, the damaged souls of New Orleans to rise up and smite the Bush administration and whoever else failed the flooded city. The album is a grab bag of songs – old Toussaint works, new tunes co-written by Costello and Toussaint. What kicked off the project, though, was the title track, penned by Costello himself for a benefit concert. The lyrics seem to beg for the Mississippi to flow upstream, knocking out the mansions on the hill rather than the lowest-lying residents: “I don’t see how it can get much worse / What do we have to do to send the river in reverse.” Nearly as withering is “Broken Promise Land,” and “The Sharpest Thorn,” almost certainly a direct stab at President Bush. The album gets some emotional balance from Toussaint’s older songs, especially the compassionate “Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further?” and “Tears, Tears and More Tears,” which becomes an excellent vehicle for Costello’s punchy vocal style. With Toussaint on piano, and the four-piece Crescent City Horns on board, “The River in Reverse” has a gentle undertone of New Orleans vibe. But instead of rounding up a genuine New Orleans rhythm section – no doubt, easy to find and employ these days – Costello uses his band, the Imposters. A fine group, to be sure, but I can’t help wondering if this might have been even more remarkable is they had gone Big Easy all the way. Allen Toussaint headlines Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ Crescent City Swing benefit event July 22 at Aspen Highlands.
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