Mac Rebennack, more commonly known by his stage name Dr. John and by fans as “The Night Tripper,” is a hugely influential musician and composer from New Orleans. The Doc made a name for himself in the music business in the late 60s and early 70s as a genre-defying pioneer, known mostly for his blending of traditional New Orleans soul and R&B with modern soul, funk, blues, and psychedelic rock influences to create his own quirky, signature swamp rock sound.
To go along with his music, the Doc’s put on memorably bizarre live shows that matched his voodoo subject matter with iconic voodoo imagery. Over the years, the Doc began moving away from his psychedelic medicine man show in favor of interpretations of the traditional New Orleans music he heard throughout his life.
The Doc’s also been known for his prolific artistic output. Since the debut of his 1968 classic “Gris-Gris,” the Doc has released more than 20 albums, picking up five Grammy Awards and landing himself in the top-20 with his 1973 hit, “Right Place Wrong Time,” along the way. However, his work has slowed down as of late. His newest, “Locked Down,” released on April 3, marks his first since 2006’s “Mercenary,” but the wait was, without a doubt, worth it. “Locked Down” is just as good as he was at his peak in the 60s and 70s and perhaps, maybe a little bit better.
At the reigns of his newest song’s production is The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, and it shows. While I’m not the biggest fan of the Keys, the input from a newer recording artist can only be positive to the project, and this is no exception. With the aid of Auerbach’s touch, the Doc sounds fresher than ever, while simultaneously throwing back to his earlier, wilder days of voodoo swamp rock.
The Doc has shed his New Orleans standards in light of a sound more akin to his psychedelic roots, but he’s not completely retreading old territory. As is most apparent in the album’s instrumentation (more on that soon), the Doc has thrown in some African jazz-funk into the mix. The main groove in “Ice Age” is straight up afrobeat, just like Fela Kuti used to play it. Others, like the swampy opener “Locked Down” and “Eleggua,” focus more heavily on laying down solid grooves but wind up sounding like funkadelic on the bayou. “Revolution” and “Getaway” resemble tributes to classic soul greats.
Needless to say, for anyone familiar with the man, the musicianship on this album is incredible. The Doc covers the keys and tears them up like he has on any piano over the course of his career. Auerbach takes on the guitar duties and handles them exceptionally by providing inventive leads and warm tones, and a more-than-capable slew of other select musicians round out a backing band replete with funky horns and soulful vocals.
In a world where good comeback albums are a rarity, I was surprised that the Night Tripper came out of nowhere with another potential classic. The Doc’s “Locked Down” is proof it’s never too late to one-up yourself, and his comeback may turn out to be for what he’s remembered. It’s the most consistently great and enjoyable album to come out in 2012 so far, and it’s going to be a hard one to top in the months to come.
