There ought to be a law that from now on, the Basin Street label will be responsible for providing the soundtrack music to all movies filmed in New Orleans. Not just because Basin Street's stable of artists is of such consistently high quality, but because it represents such a good cross section of local styles, from
Jon Cleary's world-weary R&B to
Henry Butler's jubilant boogie, and from los Hombres Calientes' pan-Caribbean Creole jazz to the second-line classicism of
Dr. Michael White and
Kermit Ruffins. You may not have seen (or even heard about) the made-for-TV-movie that originally featured these songs, but it doesn't matter; just think of this album as a generous overview of one of America's best independent jazz labels. Sit back and enjoy the sassy vocals of Thais Clark on
White's "Angel in the Day (Devil at Night)" and the gorgeous three-part "Cuban Suite" by los Hombres Calientes, not to mention
Cleary's slowly percolating "Oh No No No" and
Ruffins' joyful take on "Ain't Misbehavin'."
Theresa Andersson's gritty folk-rock is a little bit startling in this context, but it's definitely worth hearing on its own terms. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson