Dr. John - Locked Down (Nonesuch Records)

Dr. John, because good music never goes bad

May 9, 2012 at 12:00 am

The Doctor is back, and finally you can get a little taste of what he's prescribed.

Giving off the flare of voodoo funk, this time with Black Keys front-man Dan Auerbach, he delivers what you wish the Black Keys sounded like. Even though this is more like a Black Keys plus Dr. John album, the tunes are all but arena rock. The first single, "Revolution," is driven with an underlying baritone sax, something that's not often recognized in rock anymore. It's catchy as hell too, and halfway through, Dr. John bangs out a crazy organ solo, which, with Auerbach's catchy riffs, throws naysayers in the dumpster. "Big Shot" sounds like it's a modern soundtrack for a talkie, (dang those newfangled talkies!) but it comes off as much more. By the finale, "God's Sure Good," Danny boy pulls off a modern rock riff, but combined with Rebennack's "organistics," it emerges as something special — straight outta 1972, kids. But it's something out of 2012. It comes out of anywhere where there's great music, and now the good Doctor is reborn. So, yeah, the Doc delivers his magical healing powers: "Let's all just pray on it ... right now." —Jarrett Koral

 

Jarrett is 14 years old. His album collection is massive because he knows good music isn't relative to a recording date.