Dr. John: Locked Down

"Produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, 'Locked Down' nods cordially at Dr. John’s eclectic New Orleans shaman shtick, then maneuvers it out of the way in favor of music that speaks for itself through taut grooves and seat-of-the-pants instrumental interplay. Good choice: Dr. John has wide-ranging taste, and he always could play. Auerbach pairs him here with an ace backing group that sticks close as Dr. John strolls through an eclectic blend of funk, blues, psychedelic rock and Afrobeat, digging into tight grooves on songs that grab hold a little tighter each time through the LP. 'Big Shot' shimmies and sways ... while low horns grunt over the staccato beat that pushes along his spooky vocals on 'Revolution.' A thick layer of keyboards blankets the deep funk interplay between bass and guitar on 'Ice Age' and the atmospheric glimmers of a Rhodes keyboard hover on the soulful slow jam 'My Children, My Angels.' Though he’s known for his facility on piano ... Dr. John mostly plays other keyboards on this album — an intentional move by Auerbach, who wanted to push Rebennack in unexpected directions. ... Forty years after recording the single 'Right Place, Wrong Time,' it’s finally the right time for Dr. John on an album that stands among his deepest" (Eric R. Danton, "Album Review," Sound Check, 4/2/12).

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