dr John: “Things Happen That Way” (Review & Stream)

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While a large generation of musicians is stepping away, the posthumous album has become a genre of its own. Not all the different ones have had such good to brilliant obituaries as, say, David Bowie, Warren Zevon, Gregg Allman or Leonard Cohen. So now Mac Rebennack from New Orleans, who had the ten tracks of this album in the can when he had a heart attack in the summer of 2019 – after a late work amazingly inspired in his last decade, from the night tripper reprise “Tribal” via the Dan -Auerbach guest performance “Locked Down” to the late Satchmo tribute “Ske-Dat-De-Dat”.

Then Johnny nods from the cloud next door

“Things Happen That Way” doesn’t come close to the class of these albums, but it would have been a shame if some of the exhibits had been forgotten. As the title, borrowed from Johnny Cash, suggests, Dr. John here for his country roots. There wasn’t just the Grand Ole Opry, there was also the Louisiana Hayride. A darkly threatening “Ramblin’ Man” (Hank Williams) shows how well it can work when he brings genre classics right into the home hay, but above all a wonderfully annexed “Funny How Time Slips Away” right at the start. Author Willie Nelson is a guest a little later, but the gospel dangling on old-time religion seems a bit too lazy.

Which can’t be said for a surprise second-line reading of the Traveling Wilburys hit “End Of The Line,” complete with a cameo appearance by Aaron Neville. why dr John said recording “I Walk On Guilded Splinters” again will remain his secret. There are also three new songs of their own. “Sleeping Dogs Best Left Alone” and “Give Myself A Good Talkin’ To” play on his humorous keyboard, while “Holy Water” is a reflection on early prison days. Finally a completely melancholic reinterpretation of the title track. Then Johnny nods from the cloud next door.

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