01 – Locked Down
02 – Revolution
03 – Big Shot
04 – Ice Age
05 – Getaway
06 – Kingdom of Izzness		play
07 – You Lie
08 – Eleggua		play
09 – My Children, My Angels
10 – God’s Sure Good

    Dr. John - keyboards, lead vocals
    Dan Auerbach - guitar, percussion, background vocals
    Max Weissenfeldt - drums, percussion, background vocals
    Leon Michels - keyboards, percussion, woodwinds, background vocals
    Nick Movshon - electric and upright bass, percussion, background vocals
    Brian Olive - guitar, percussion, woodwinds, background vocals
    The McCrary Sisters (Regina, Ann & Alfreda) - background vocals

It may come as a surprise that the character of Dr. John, whose new album, “Locked Down,” comes out Tuesday, was birthed in Los Angeles. The mythical voodoo pianist-conjurer is so intertwined with the stories, secrets and rituals of New Orleans that to suggest he is anything but the embodiment of the bayou borders on heresy.

But Dr. John — that is, the persona created by New Orleans singer, songwriter and pianist Malcolm John Michael Creaux “Mac” Rebennack — was imagined and realized in the entertainment capital of the world after the young pianist moved west to find work as a session player in 1965. It was here, after hooking up with a posse of fellow New Orleans musician expats and playing on some big L.A. hits of the era, that Rebennack started brainstorming a solo career and struck up the idea of a persona.

The one he came up with has endured for 45 years and has become a New Orleans archetype, so much so that his less inspired work over the decades has bordered on self-parody. His producers’ worst reflexes have been to highlight his New Orleans drawl, create funky rhythm, roll out a catchy melody on the piano, stir in some gumbo lyrics about second-line brass bands and then punctuate with horns.

But then, as if conjured out of the air, his new record, “Locked Down,” arrives, and it is one of the best of his career. As Bob Dylan did with “Time Out of Mind” and Tom Waits did last year with “Bad as Me,” Dr. John does here: exiting a period of relative creative stagnation by creating something magical, the embodiment of everything he’s done but pushed in a clear new direction.

Produced in Nashville by Dan Auerbach, singer and guitarist for the Black Keys, “Locked Down” reunites the man (Rebennack is now 71 years old) who was inspired by James Booker, Professor Longhair and Fats Domino with the abstract mystic Dr. John.

In his 1994 autobiography, “Under a Hoodoo Moon,” Rebennack describes that mystic as “a medicine man who claimed to be a prince of Senegal before he was abducted and taken to Cuba.”

He came up with the idea while living with a community of roustabouts in a Melrose Avenue building misleadingly called the Hollywood Executive Hotel and recorded Dr. John’s debut album, “Gris-Gris,” a swamp rock classic, at Gold Star Studios with off-hours studio time paid for by Sonny and Cher. This creation has endured through swamp rock gems such as “In the Right Place” and “Dr. John’s Gumbo,” both produced by New Orleans compadre Allen Toussaint, and has found remarkable rejuvenation on “Locked Down.”

This is due in no small part to Auerbach, who has merged the man with the myth by directing the project, compiling the band, playing guitar and setting a course.

As producer, Auerbach gathered the musicians, and what he came up with is stunning. Drummer Max Weissenfeldt, a drummer who has played with acts as varied as the Heliocentrics and the No Neck Blues Band and whose wild snare patterns propel songs from continent to continent with each measure, shines everywhere he hits. Horn arranger Leon Michels is the founder of the Truth & Soul label, has collaborated with both soul crooner Lee Fields and Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon; his brass bursts punctuate choruses and bridges. Bassist Nick Movshon’s roaming basslines are all over Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” and guide songs with both grace and urgency.

Rebennack cited West African instrumental music of the 1950s and ’60s recommended by Auerbach as an influence on this record. It’s especially noticeable on one of the album’s most thrilling songs, “Revolution,” which features a doubled-up baritone sax pushing forward a deep, driving melody that recalls Ethiopian Afro-jazz expert Mulatu Astatke, a humming organ solo by Rebennack that jumps around like a tripped-out Sun Ra freakout, and a wild but controlled drum excursion by Weissenfeldt.

Every instrumental break on “Locked Down,” though, is as kaleidoscopic. In “Big Shot,” the saxophone-heavy bridge arrives like a water balloon to the head, this big burst of joyous surprise. “Ain’t no one ever gonna be like me,” declares the doctor, and you’ve got no doubt that he’s right. “I’m the big shot.” (If David Chase were still making episodes of “The Sopranos,” he’d no doubt have harnessed “Big Shot” for a bloodied murder scene involving Tony.)

Lyrically, though, the mask has been taken off, and we see Rebennack not only as a Saturday night voodoo king but also as a Tuesday morning man waking up after a weekend bender and trying to come to terms with what went down over the last 72 hours. Especially on the album’s closing numbers, the erstwhile Dr. John offers intimate, personal lyrics about the importance of family and the generosity of God. “God’s been better to me than I’ve been to myself,” he sings on the album’s closer, and he sounds both repentant and amazed to make it out the other side. --- Randall Roberts, latimes.com

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01. Right Place Wrong Time – 2:50
02. Same Old Same Old – 2:39
03. Just The Same – 2:49
04. Qualified (Jesse Hill, Mac Rebennack) – 4:46
05. Traveling Mood (James Waynes) – 2:47			play
06. Peace Brother Peace – 2:46
07. Life (Allen Toussaint) – 2:28					play
08. Such A Night - 2:54
09. Shoo Fly Marches On - 3:13
10. I Been Hoodood - 3:12
11. Cold Cold Cold (Alvin Robinson, Jesse Hill, Mac Rebennack) - 2:37

- Dr.John (Mac Rebennack) - vocals, piano (04), organ (06), percussion (10)
- Allen Toussaint - piano, electric piano, acoustic guitar, conga drums, tambourine,
 backing vocals, vocal arrangements, arranger, conductor
- Ralph MacDonald - percussion (08-10)
- David Spinozza - guitar solo (01)
- Gary Brown - electric and acoustic saxophones
- Robbie Montgomery, Jessie Smith - backing vocals
- The Bonaroo Horn Section - horns
The Meters:
- Leo "Breeze" Nocentelli - lead guitar
- Arthur "Red" Neville - organ
- George "Freak Man" Porter - bass
- Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste – drums

Dr. John finally struck paydirt here and was certainly In the Right Place. With the hit single "Right Place Wrong Time" bounding up the charts, this fine collection saw many unaware listeners being initiated into New Orleans-style rock. Also including Allen Toussaint's "Life," and a funky little number entitled "Traveling Mood," which shows off the good doctor's fine piano styling, and with able help from the Meters as backup group, In the Right Place is still a fine collection to own. --- James Chrispell, allmusic.com

This is a straight reissue of the 1973 album release. A scant 34 minutes and no bonus tracks. Not even any liner notes -- which might just be the way the disc was originally issued.

Backed by the Meters (Leo Nocentelli, Arthur Neville, George Porter and Joseph Modeliste), augmented by the multi-instrumentalism and production of Allen Toussaint, Dr. John stretches out in more funky and soulful directions than the previous year's reading of New Orleans classics, "Gumbo." Dr. John wrote or co-wrote 8 of the 11 tracks here, with three more Crescent City treats (James Waynes' "Traveling Mood", Allen Toussaint's "Life" and Alvin Robinson's "Cold Cold Cold").

The disc leads off with Dr. John' only top-40 hit, "Right Place Wrong Time" (#9 in June of '73). This is one of those great productions that at the time just slipped right into the stream of things, but looking back at it now it's a wonder to think it actually made it into the popular conscious. It's a similar feeling to realizing that Johnny Nash's "Hold Me Tight" or Desmond Dekker's "Israelites" brought ska and reggae sounds to the American top-40 without ever really saying so. There's a soulfulness to this, an r'n'b sound in the horns, organ and background vocals, that just defies the sort of prefabricated pieces that usually make the charts.

The rest of the disc continues in the soulful vein, feeling much like the Neville Brothers work at points. It moves from the upbeat and funky (the title track, "Qualified") through gospel-tinged pieces ("Peace Brother Peace") to quiet, more soulful ballads ("Just the Same") There's some interesting interplay between Dr. John's piano and Art Neville's organ. Nice horn playing throughout from the Bonaroo horn section.

Overall a great piece of funky early 70's New Orleans soul, all filtered through Dr. John's nighttripper persona. --- hyperbolium, amazon.com

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01. Black John The Conqueror - 6:20
02. Where Ya At Mule - 4:55
03. Craney Crow - 6:40
04. Familiar Reality-Opening (Rebennack/Jesse Hill) - 5:25					play
05. Pots On Fiyo (Filé Gumbo) / Who I Got To Fall On (If The Pot Get Heavy) - 5:48
06. Zu Zu Mamou - 7:59
07. Familiar Reality-Reprise (Rebennack/Jesse Hill) - 1:50

- Dr.John - vocals, piano, organ, guitar, vibes & percussion
- Kenneth Terroade - flute (01,03,05,06)
- The Memphis Horns - horns (01,02,05)
- Walter Davis Jr. - piano (01,03,05)
- Chris Mercer - saxophone (01,02,07)
- Graham Bond - alto saxophone (01,05,07)
- Bobby Keys - tenor saxophone (02,07)
- Bobby Whitlock - backing vocals (01,02,07)
- Doris Troy - backing vocals (01,02,06,07)
- Carl Radle - bass (02,07)
- Jesse Boyce - bass (03), percussion (06)
- Freeman Brown - percussion (03,05,06)
- Steve York - acoustic bass (05,06)
- Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels - congas (05)
- Jim Price - trumpet (05,07)
- Jim Gordon - congas (02,07)
- Ron Johnson - guitar (04)
- John Boudreaux - drums (04)
- Ronnie Barron - organ (04)
- Jerry Jumonville - saxophone (04)
- Edward R. Hoerner - trumpet (04) 
- Joni Jonz, Mick Jagger, P.P. Arnold, Shirley Goodman, Tammi Lynn - backing vocals
- Freddie Staehle - trap drums
- Eric Clapton - slide guitar
- Vic Brox - pocket trumpet & organ
- Ray Draper - tuba, percussion & backing vocals
The Memphis Horns:
- James Mitchell - baritone saxophone
- Andrew Love, Ed Logan - tenor saxophone
- Wayne Jackson, Roger Hopps – trumpet

This classic recording sees Dr John's transformation into the persona of the Night Tripper fully complete. Richly textured and sumptuous, this is a CD that must be owned.

Opening with Black John The Conqueror, wait for the thrill as the gospel-like tones of the backing singers and stabs of the brass lay down the framework for this recording. Where Ya At Mule follows and is perhaps the only weak point. A little light. A touch too whimsical. Fear not, for Craney Crow takes us firmly back into Night Tripper territory with its fusion of jazz, psychedelia and pseudo-Southern black magic. We are then propelled into Familiar Reality, and for me, one of the best intros ever. Something to enjoy. Again and again.

File Gumbo seamlessly picks up where Familiar Reality left off, before we journey into the loose jazz of Who I Got To Fall On (If The Pot Get Heavy) only to be transported back into Night Tripper territory and the excellent Zu Zu Mamou ... Then, just as the party seems to be over and you're left wanting more, solace can be found in the form of Familiar Reality (Reprise).

A monumental recording, in the dark days of vinyl you had to hunt this one out. On CD, nothing is lost, save perhaps the sleeve notes, where small print addicts could read the guest list that reads like a celebrity call-out that includes Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger. Second, one no longer has the thrill of a Side One and Side Two and the excitement of turning the record over and wondering if the opening to Familiar Reality really is as good as the last time that you heard it. --- "minto2000", amazon.com

Originally intended as a triple album, The Sun, Moon & Herbs was chopped up, whittled down and re-assembled into this single-disc release, and while Dr. John never liked this version much, perhaps the single disc is testament to the "less is more" theory. The seven cuts are all quite lengthy and the spells Dr. John and his consorts weave are dark and swampy. "Black John the Conqueror" comes from old Cajun folklore which the good Dr. has modernized and given a beat. The swampy "Craney Crow" is the younger sibling of his earlier "Walk On Guilded Splinters" and has a similar effect on the listener. "Pots on Fiyo (Fils Gumbo)" combines Latin American rhythms with lots of Cajun chants and spells. The vocals are nearly incomprehensible and actually serve as another instrument in the mix. "Zu Zu Mamou" is so thick that you can almost cut the music with a knife. Here, the atmosphere takes on a whole other meaning altogether. The Sun, Moon & Herbs is best listened to on a hot, muggy night with the sound of thunder rumbling off in the distance like jungle drums. Dr. John was definitely onto something here, but just what is left up to the listener. --- James Chrispell, allmusic

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1. Right Place, Wrong Time
2. Such a Night
3. Mama Roux 
4. Junko Partner 
5. Wash, Mama, Wash
6. Loop Garoo
7. Iko Iko
8. Tipitina
9. Jump Sturdy
10. Qualified
11. What Comes Around (Goes Around)
12. Mos' Scocious
13. I Walk on Guilded Splinters
14. Honeydripper
15. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
16. Goin' Back to New Orleans
17. Makin' Whoopee (Duet With Rickie Lee Jones)
18. Litanie Des Saint

Dr. John has recorded many great albums, but it's difficult to argue with such a perfect distillation of his catchy, grooving, slapdash pop work as this Rhino set. Coming out of the R&B studio subculture of New Orleans, the former Mac Rebennack possessed songwriting smarts and reams of recording expertise, each of which had reached their peak by the early '70s. Focused squarely on that prime era, 1970 through 1974, the collection begins with his only Top Ten hit, 1973's irrepressibly fatalistic "Right Place, Wrong Time." Two others come from his best album (1973's In the Right Place), the jaunty "Such a Night" and "Qualified." 1972's Dr. John's Gumbo also rates three tracks: the New Orleans classics "Iko Iko" and "Tipitina," plus "Junko Partner." The compilers were also wise to choose three songs from Gris-Gris, his unjustly neglected psychedelic debut, including "Mama Roux" and "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" (but unfortunately, not the glorious "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya"). A version of Jimmy Liggins' jump-blues classic "Honeydripper," from 1981's Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, spotlights his sparkling boogie-woogie piano, and the set closes with a pair of standards from his latter-day Warner Bros. years (one of which is the unofficial Mardi Gras theme "Goin' Back to New Orleans"). Whether it's for a first listen or the perfect road-trip disc, The Very Best of Dr. John has all of the New Orleans master's best recordings in one spot. ---John Bush, allmusic.com

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1. Makin' Whoopee! (featuring Rickie Lee Jones)
2. Candy
3. Accentuate The Positive
4. My Buddy
5. In A Sentimental Mood
6. Black Night
7. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'
8. Love For Sale
9. More Than You Know

Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack (vocals, keyboards); 
Rickie Lee Jones (vocals); 
Paul Jackson (acoustic guitar); 
Hugh McCracken (guitar); 
David "Fathead" Newman (saxophone); 
Larry Williams (synthesizer); 
Marcus Miller, Abraham Laboriel (bass); 
Harvey Mason, Jeff Porcaro (drums); 
Lenny Castro, Trazi (percussion).

On Dr. John's first major-label effort, and first vocal studio album in ten years, he performs a set of pop standards including Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" and Johnny Mercer's "Accentuate the Positive." After starting out with a wild stage act and unusual costumes, Dr. John has evolved into a vocal stylist and piano virtuoso, which makes the idea of doing this sort of material appealing. And he does it well, turning out a leisurely duet with Rickie Lee Jones on "Makin' Whoopee" that won a Grammy (Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group), and giving sad feeling to "My Buddy." Maybe he has changed since the Gris Gris days, but even a mellowed Dr. John is a tasty one. --- William Ruhlmann, allmusic.com

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CD1 44:18

01 - Soulful warrior 4:29
02 - Thank you for lettin' me be myself again 5:14
03 - Qualified 6:56
04 - ? 6:53
05 - Cottonfields back home > Goodnight Irene 7:18
06 - Hen layin' rooster 3:49
07 - ? 4:43
08 - Junco partner 4:53

CD 2 38:10

01 - Rain 5:13
02 - Everybody let's sing 5:03
03 - Take what I can get 4:19
04 - Wang dang 4:39
05 - St. James Infirmary > When the saints go marching in 5:01
06 - Big chief > band intro 5:47
07 - Outro > audience 3:38
***
08 - Right place, wrong time 4:26

Dr. John: Piano, organ, vocals
John Fohl: guitar, vocals
David Barard: bass, vocals
Herman Ernest: drums, vocals

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1. Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya
2. Danse Kalinda Ba Doom
3. Mama Roux
4. Danse Fambeaux
5. Croker Courtbullion
6. Jump Sturdy
7. I Walk On Guilded Splinters

    Harold Battiste - arranger, producer, bass, clarinet, percussion
    Dr. John - keyboards, guitar, percussion, vocals
    Richard 'Didimus' Washington - guitar, mandolin, percussion
    Plas Johnson - saxophone
    Lonnie Boulden - flute
    Steve Mann - guitar, banjo
    Ernest McLean - guitar, mandolin
    Bob Frasier, Bob West - bass
    Mo Pedido - congas
    John Boudreaux - drums
    Dave Dixon, Jessie Hill, Ronnie Barron - backing vocals, percussion
    Joni Jonz, Prince Ella Johnson, Shirley Goodman, Sonny Ray Durden, Tami Lynn - backing vocals

The most exploratory and psychedelic outing of Dr. John's career, a one-of-a-kind fusion of New Orleans Mardi Gras R&B and voodoo mysticism. Great rasping, bluesy vocals, soulful backup singers, and eerie melodies on flute, sax, and clarinet, as well as odd Middle Eastern-like chanting and mandolin runs. It's got the setting of a strange religious ritual, but the mood is far more joyous than solemn. --- Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com

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   1. "Babylon" – 5:25
   2. "Glowin'" – 5:39
   3. "Black Widow Spider" – 5:01
   4. "Barefoot Lady" – 3:10
   5. "Twilight Zone" – 8:15
   6. "The Patriotic Flag / Waiver" – 4:52
   7. "The Lonesome Guitar Strangler" – 5:34

Dr. John - keyboards, vocals

Dr. John's ambition remained undiminished on his second solo album, Babylon, released shortly after the groundbreaking voodoo-psychedelia-New Orleans R&B fusion of his debut, Gris-Gris. The results, however, were not nearly as consistent or impressive. Coolly received by critics, the album nonetheless is deserving of attention, though it pales a bit in comparison with Gris-Gris. The production is sparser and more reliant on female backup vocals than his debut. Dr. John remains intent on fusing voodoo and R&B, but the mood is oddly bleak and despairing, in comparison with the wild Mardi Gras-gone-amok tone of his first LP. The hushed, damned atmosphere and after-hours R&B sound a bit like Van Morrison on a bummer trip at times, as peculiar as that might seem. "The Patriotic Flag-Waiver" (sic), in keeping with the mood of the late '60s, damns social ills and hypocrisy of all sorts. An FM underground radio favorite at the time, its ambitious structure remains admirable, though its musical imperfections haven't worn well. To a degree, you could say the same about the album as a whole. But it has enough of an eerie fascination to merit investigation. --- Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com

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