Trombone Shorty

If soul is enriched through suffering, then it’s no wonder New Orleans has produced so many soulful musicians, from Jellyroll Morton right on down to Trombone Shorty, the latest in the line. Shorty, aka Troy Andrews, is out of the Tremé district in that beleaguered town, and he’s been featured in the HBO series that carries the name of his old ’hood. The opening track has a little voodoo in it, and a sense of dread and nervous energy appropriate to its title—“Hurricane Season.” Allen Toussaint brings additional N’awlins authenticity to his composition, “On Your Way Down,” and Lenny Kravitz adds some tasty guitar licks to “Something Beautiful,” but this album belongs solidly to Shorty and his Orleans Avenue crew. If you don’t like funk, then you probably won’t like Trombone Shorty, but if you’re a fan of The Meters, or if you want music with a powerful horn section and a drummer who can find more beats in a groove than you ever imagined were there, then you’ll certainly want this album playing the next time you throw a bust-out party where even the halt and the lame will be workin’ their best moves on the dance floor.