Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Funeral For A Friend

(Ropeadope)

One does not so much review the Dirty Dozen’s music as cry its wares. The venerable New Orleans band (not Eminem’s) has been making rootsy brass music for over 25 years now, guesting as the brass section for just about anyone in need one to tear the roof off, most recently on Dave Matthews solo effort Some Devil. On their latest release, Funeral For A Friend, the eight members have compiled as juicy a set of songs as one could hope for.

The song titles are strongly Jesus-oriented, but the Band eschews vocals on all but “Jesus On The Mainline,” a stomping hoe-down to the tune of “This Little Light.” Despite the band’s roots in the New Orleans funeral tradition, the album is relentlessly upbeat. The sole exception is the one-minute excerpt of “Amazing Grace,” the low-point of sobriety and conformism that concludes the album.

“Please Let Me Stay A Little Longer,” which opens with a nimble acoustic guitar riff courtesy of Jamie Maclean, showcases Kirk Joseph’s sousaphone as it rebounds off the bass drum crump of Terence Higgins. The menacing muted trumpet of “John The Revelator” carves a scowling path through the refried swagger of the massed horns. The Dirty Dozen has volume to spare, and at times the real challenge of the album is how to step away from the band’s masterful all out boogie and find a more thoughtful sound. When the band tries this, they run the risk of sounding disconcertingly tired and outmoded, as happens midway through “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” Still, the Dirty Dozen sounds fresh enough to put to shame acts less then half their age.

—Andrew R. Illiff

DJ Kicks: Erlend Oye

The Singing DJ

(Studio K7)

Like playing the recorder, DJing has long been one of those things that anyone can do (badly), and in the MP3 age, its gotten even easier to do (and, logic dictates, worse-sounding): pimply techheads everywhere are filling the internet with cryable cross-genre “mash-ups” of old and new pop songs (cf. Jay Z’s lyrics on top of Pavement, Weezer, Sgt. Pepper). Erstwhile DJ, dork-stud and half of the folksy Kings of Convenience Erlend Oye doesn’t need to prove his musical chops, and as the DJ Kicks logo indicates, he’s no “Rad DJ” Adrien Brody. For this umpteeth compilation of the famed series, Erlend reaches past the Ecstatic tubthumpers so beloved on Ibiza to dig out clap-happy, intelligent jams more suitable for drunken dance parties where the glowstick is not a substitute for the phallus.

If his refreshing rawness isn’t clear from his eclectic (and brilliant) picks—Avenue D‘s salacious “2D2F” finds room next to Jurgen Pappe’s twinkly “Se Weit Wie Noch Nie,” for instance—it’s clear in the cutesy, awe-struck tenor he throws on top of most of the tracks. “It seems I have insulted you/ You’re dancing with your back against me,” his refrain over Morgan Geist’s “Lullaby,” might be directed at purists, but here and elsewhere the outcome is better than the original. When he sings along to The Rapture, he does so unobtrusively, and demonstrates good use of quotation: The Smiths’ lyrics to “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” get reignited by way of Royksopp’s hypnotic “Poor Leno.” Like his collaborative electronic album from last year, Unrest, this record isn’t perfect, but it’s a revelrous education in 21st century dance music, capable of getting even the less coordinated of us to put it to good use.

—Alex L. Pasternack

Leftover Salmon

Leftover Salmon

(Compendia)

Whether you call their music “newgrass,” “jamband” or just plain “rock,” Leftover Salmon is eclectic. Wielding fiddles, mandolins, banjos and at least four other instruments, this Boulder, Colorado based band stirs bluegrass roots and a jam band tradition to make a spicy concoction in their new self-titled album. Known for their live performances and incidentally Cajun flavor, Leftover Salmon could be compared to Phish or even the Grateful Dead, but their fifth album hits shelves as a new statement of individuality.

From the first fast-picking banjo song to the last swinging ballad, Leftover Salmon uses this disc to showcase their diversity and song-writing capability. Any listener can appreciate the spectrum of sound with songs like the sure folk rock hit, “Woody Guthrie,” and the Southern fried “Keep On Walkin.” The album delightfully maintains an impressive sense of cohesion and style. Instead of leading you astray, each track offers a different road to walk down and a different mood to discover.

Fluently translating their unforgettable stage talent into an hour of heartfelt soul, Leftover Salmon will surely win new fans with this album. Old devotees won’t be surprised that these musicians continue to please.

—Adam C. Estes

Loretta Lynn

Van Lear Rose

(Interscope)

To everyone who claims to like “everything but country” when it comes to music, I say: bullshit. You’ll like Loretta Lynn’s new album.

Lynn is 68 years old, and Van Lear Rose is her seventy-first album. She’s one of country’s greats and her collaboration with Jack White of the White Stripes (40 years her junior) couldn’t be a smarter move. The songs retain her country sensibilities, and while she doesn’t attempt any groundbreaking country themes, White’s presence is definitely felt. “Portland, Oregon,” for example, Lynn’s duet with White, could easily be mistaken for a Yo La Tengo song for the first full minute. There’s no confusion here, though; Lynn is still doing what she does best, and country’s soulful violins and funny songs about God are in attendance. The best songs, like “Have Mercy” and “Mrs. Leroy Brown,” seem to showcase the talents of both the Detroit rocker and the Kentucky country gal.

The rhythm section on this album pushes the country classification the most; the drums, when they’re there, seem to say rock more than country. The album’s full of twangy guitars and simplistic lyrical messages and lessons, though, so it would be impossible to say that Lynn and White have shaken the country boat very much.

Lynn is obviously a master of her craft, and if you’re a country master and 68 years-old, I can’t think of a better idea than to tap a young and popular ‘rocker’ to make your music that more accessible. Why Jack White is dating Renee Zellwegger, however, we may never know.

—Lucy F. Lindsey