Music Review: Kermit Ruffins, #imsoneworleans

By Melissa Bratcher

It’s not often that I listen to an album that makes me grin like a lunatic after every track. Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers’ #imsoneworleans is nine tracks of pure joy. (See what they did there? It’s a hashtag, for the Twitters.) (Incidentally, I kept reading it as “I’ms One Worleans” which makes no sense. I mean, I knew New Orleans was in there, but I just didn’t know where exactly. Pardon the digression.) A mix of covers and originals, #imsoneworleans is a fun album. The musicians sound like they love what they’re doing, and Ruffins always brings a great time.

The titular track is a roll call of New Orleans gods and demigods (Tuba Fats, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Lionel Batiste, Trombone Shorty) set to a swinging beat. Each of the Barbecue Swingers gets a moment in the spotlight, from a killer trombone solo to a delicious piano riff. Ruffins’s playing is, as always, sparkling. The final track, “I’m So New Orleans Part 2” takes the motif of hometown pride further, with Ruffins’s charming, hilarious at times, spoken-word recollections over a low-down jazz slink. He exudes so much charisma, there’s no way not to love him and his delivery (Full disclosure: I actually applauded at the end of this track. I was caught up in the moment).

The band’s take on Professor Longhair’s seminal “Tipitina” is lively and funky. Smart, tight drumming drives the song along with a ripping bass line. Ruffins’s distinctive vocals are always a delight. He tweaks the lyrics to the classic “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and turns in a laid back version with an expressive, silvery trumpet solo. It’s an elegant rendition and his players on piano, drum, and bass are quite up to the task. You can hear the smile in his voice as he sings. It’s delightful.

The funk is turned up on the party starter “Put Your Right Foot Forward.” The bass line is blistering and Ruffins’s trumpet rips. It’s exuberant and wild, and I’m still trying to work out the dance it describes. There’s extra swing added to the time honored “Jock-A-Mo (Iko Iko).” It has an added bit of Caribbean flavor. The call and response vocals coupled with Ruffins’s electrifying, swooning, hopping trumpet make it a new classic version.

If there’s one word I think of when I think of Kermit Ruffins it is warmth. You can hear the warmth in his voice on every track he sings on #imsoneworleans. He’s a great showman, an unbelievably gifted musician, and a national treasure. His Barbecue Swingers are exactly the kind of band that he buoys him up, and in turn, those exemplary musicians get moments to shine individually on #imsoneworleans. It’s a joyful, delightful album that deserves to be in steady rotation.

#imsoneworleans was released on April 21 by Basin Street Records.

Tour Dates:
5/2: New Orleans, LA @ Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/3: New Orleans, LA @ Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/26: Washington, DC @ The Hamilton
5/29: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
5/30: Augusta, NJ @ Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Festival
6/27: Worcester, MA @ Paulie’s New Orleans Jazz n’ Blues Festival