Rooster Davis is David ‘Rooster DavisAide on keyboards & vocals with a second vocalist & partner, Ann Vriend; drums, Peter Hendrickson; and trombone, Brad Shigeta. If with this lineup you’re thinking New Orleans you’re on the money.

Aide says in the booklet that he stands on the shoulders of giants and he doesn’t let them down. Dr. John, Fats Domino, Huey Smith, James Booker (“Junco Partner”), Professor Longhair and the Meters (“Iko Iko”) are all represented here in energetic and well-thought-out versions of their best songs. Hendrickson has that second line nailed and Shigata’s trombone carries a complete horn section. Rooster’s piano & his vocals are spot on. Dr. John’s “You Lie Too Much”, Fats Domino’s “I’m In Love Again” & Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s “High Blood Pressure” form a delightful opening trio. Even warhorses like “Junco Partner” & “St. James Infirmary” get fresh treatments. Vriend solos on a rousing “Down By The Riverside” and Rooster’s vocal on “Mardi Gras In New Orleans” join the highlights. They close with two originals, Vriend singing a delightful ode to “Those Records” and Rooster just pounding the keys for his bragging “Rooster Blues”. Both are very much of a piece with the other songs on this disc. Yes there are many versions of these songs in addition to the originals in your collection but seldom will they be this well performed. Beautifully recorded in “Roostereo Sound”. The web site is www.RoosterDavis.com.


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