ALLEN TOUSSAINT > Toussaint

Allen Toussaint, who hails from The Big Easy, is part of the city’s second generation crop of musical geniuses. Though New Orleans’ bread and butter over the years has been its jazz, funk, blues, Cajun, Dixieland and more-and focused primarily on the musicianship-Toussaint adds a pure songwriter’s touch to these spices.Label: VARESE SARABANDE
[RATING: 4]

Allen Toussaint, who hails from The Big Easy, is part of the city’s second generation crop of musical geniuses. Though New Orleans’ bread and butter over the years has been its jazz, funk, blues, Cajun, Dixieland and more-and focused primarily on the musicianship-Toussaint adds a pure songwriter’s touch to these spices. Since the ‘60s and still very much on-the-map today (check out his latest album with Elvis Costello), Toussaint has penned songs that have been recorded by The Rolling Stones, Glen Campbell, Harry Connick Jr., The Band, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, The Pointer Sisters and many more. But he was also a recording artist, and this re-issue-originally released in 1971 by Sceptor Records-gives a solid (but brief) intro to Toussaint’s style. Half the album’s 12 tracks is composed of knockout instrumentals, but to hear a wider selection of his smooth vocals, move on to The Complete Warner Recordings.