Dr. John and the Lower 911 – Tribal

New Orleans bluesman Dr. John‘s new album Tribal has a first track which could hardly be a clearer mission statement. Even if the world had gone topsy-turvy and “Good Time Music” turned out to be a John Cage-esque recording of no music whatsoever, its title alone would still serve as a perfect renewed summation of the Doc’s unchanged creative goals. After all, Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr., to give him his full title, is hardly just starting out here; his first album Gris-Gris was released in 1968 and he has played with a number of classic bands in his time, not least boogie kings Canned Heat. When he confidently proclaims his supremacy on that opening track, then, it’s with some justification. Tribal is a record with experience on its side.

Whilst Dr. John has hardly taken an axe to his musical past here – far from it – he is anything but backwards-looking. ‘Lissen at Our Prayer’ has a slow, firm thump to back up Doc’s piano, its wonderfully astral lyrics reminding us that “2012 is not the end / it’s time to begin again”. Listening to the music, it would seem that in a way, the same could be said of 2010, too. Our guide to “fantasy and reality” sounds completely on top of his game, his confidence pitched perfectly to sound just shy of boastful, still blessed with one of those gritty and yawningly expressive voices a million younger imitators would give up a favourite limb for.

When Tribal does fall down, it is traceable to a couple of familiar, niggling tracklisting issues. Although a few gems like the more overtly rocking ‘Mancovas’ prop up the album’s later half, this remains a set of songs which feels front-loaded, a rich vein of its quality being packed into the first five or so tracks. A related issue is that Doc has fallen into the common elder statesman trap of just cramming too much onto his record – at 16 songs and an hour and five minutes, Tribal represents good value for greenbacks but can sometimes feel like a lumbering giant, especially on early listens. Naturally, these minor problems won’t bother those who are in any way positively disposed to Dr. John’s thoroughly convincing inter-style journey. This is a strong effort from a great figure, which rewards repeated listens and definitely has a real positive vibe to it. “Good Time Music” indeed.