Lafayette Marquis

Album Review

It took a decade for swamp rocker C.C. Adcock to follow up his excellent (but frustratingly short) 1994 debut. Although it's impossible to justify that the extended wait was worth it, this is nonetheless a rollicking and eclectic reminder of how much we have missed. According to the press notes that accompany the disc, these songs were recorded at various times and places with different producers (including the legendary late Jack Nitzsche), then overdubbed in 2004 to finalize them. The resulting boogie-folk-rock has a distinctive Louisiana air to it, propelled by Adcock's buzzsaw guitar and lazy, nasal vocals. Lots of echo and even some electronics enhance the sound, but never at the expense of atmosphere and emotion. However there is an uneasy, brittle quality that evokes a lonely alienation, especially on "All 4 the Betta." This music is defined by its stark, propulsive rhythms, so the Latin feel of "Blaksnak Bite" crushes acoustic guitars and timbales-led percussion, creating a unique yet spacey vibe pushed by Adcock's heavily reverbed guitar. The guitarist also includes pure acoustic Cajun on "Runaway Life," further solidifying the Louisiana connection. Lil Pookie's accordion and Dickie Landry's free-form jazz sax are strange but complementary bedfellows on "I Love You," an Eddie Shuler cover and the album's only non-original. An uncredited extra track is tacked on after a few minutes of silence, and closes the disc with three minutes of possibly improvised steamy rocking. The slimy "Love N' Gold" and "Slangshotz N' Boom-R-Angz" creep through the marshes but even the programmed percussion (with organic touches) doesn't slick up these dirty, slow motion rockers made especially moody by Adcock's sexually groaning vocals. Suggesting the voodoo ambiance of early gris-gris/Nightripper-era Dr. John, there just isn't a lot of roots music as dark, spooky and ornery as this being recorded. Which makes Lafayette Marquis such a distinctive, non-commercial yet emotionally charged album from an artist who hopefully will not wait another ten years for his next release.