After nearly two decades out of the spotlight (their most recent release,
So Fired Up, had been issued some 16 years earlier in 1983), the re-formed
Le Roux convened co-founders
Leon Medica (bass),
Tony Haselden (guitar),
David Peters (drums), and
Rod Roddy (keyboards) along with 1981 recruit
Jim Odom (guitar) and latest additions
Nelson Blanchard (keyboards, vocals) and Boo Pourciau (drums, vocals). The time off and influx of talent net
Le Roux one of their overall best efforts. Prominent and welcome are the return of exceptional material and the departure from the hair metal style they had evolved into. "Love's Gotta Hold On Me" unleashes the affair with a thick and gumbo-fied backbeat, strutting eagerly behind a full-bodied Bayou setting in
Roddy's R&B organ inflections and the malleable rhythm section of
Medica and Pourciau. The results lie somewhere between "classic"
Little Feat and
the Meters. Better still is the infectiously fun chorus and syncopated bounce driving "My Heaven Can't Wait."
Medica's ballad "Everything That I Love" is an unquestionable return to vintage
Le Roux, with traces of their signature "New Orleans Ladies" surfacing in the songwriting and melody. They return to the sound of the swamps on the project's title track, "Nothing But a Gris Gris." While not quite as playful as the reading
Le Roux had previously worked up -- heard as a supplementary side on the expanded edition of the
Keep the Fire Burnin' CD -- it remains a thoroughly scintillating ride.
Medica's "Closing In On You" is another impressive rocker with a distinct Cajun-flavored bop simmering just below the inoculably funky tune. "Your Always Right" (sic) increases the tempo a notch with the loosest and most soulful groove on the album. While lyrically it is no great shakes, the performers hit a pocket that would be a perfect candidate for further exploration in the unrestrained forum of a live show.
Blanchard closes 2000's
Ain't Nothing But a Gris Gris with his own heartfelt tale of enduring love on "I'll Be Over You" -- focusing on his considerable and multifaceted presence.