Dirty Word

Though has been around for nearly a decade, is only their second studio album. They spent years rehearsing and playing shows at home in New Orleans and on the festival circuit, honing their writing and arranging chops. also marks the debut of new drummer , the only member not originally from NOLA. As such, she adds an entirely different flavor to the band's complex rhythmic attack. An interesting presence casts a grinning shadow over these proceedings: 's LP from 1979, but it's mostly in the arrangements and approach, not the sound. 's self-produced sonic approach feels live, nasty, and greasy. The band's writing celebrates community, self-reliance, and social responsibility. The increased emphasis on chorus-like backing vocals is the big link to 's album -- and yes, that's a good thing. Go no further than the opener, the bass-drenched "Dancin' to the Truth," with its B-3, whomping twin basslines, call-and-response male and female vocals ( has a terrific voice), and the big chant backing chorus. adds to the mix on the driving title track fueled by the unique twin-bass attack of and ; their interplay works with and under the drums (it's much easier to hear the differences through speakers than live). 's guitar playing comes deep from the ' trick bag here, while 's virtuoso B-3 playing wails above and through the mix. The ultra-nasty dance jam "I Wish You Would" features guest spots from saxophonist and trombonist . The horns offer strutting frontline hooks that move directly toward 's kit, while the twin bass punch fattens it to near bursting. The play all around and through the massive groove, adding flavor, texture, and muscle. Guest adds a third bass on the stellar cover of ' "If I'm in Luck," guided by 's growling vocal. It's followed by 's "Water," with the adding their infectious magic to 's snaky clavinet vamps. 's wah-wah guitar shines on "Reality of the Situation," sharing the riff with the bubbling basses and bluesy, call-and-response male and female gospel vocals, highlighted by echoplexed backing choruses. The midtempo "I Know You Know," with the , is a staggered bit of jazzy, midtempo funk with a sophisticated vocal chart and burning breaks by . Set closer "Raise the House" features 's dad , , and the entire . This is where the NOLA second line meets 's acid-washed funk, and the party moves off into the stratosphere. While it may have taken a while for to successfully meld their live energy with their musical sophistication inside a studio, is evidence that it was well worth the wait. ~ Thom Jurek