Louisiana Love Call is
Maria Muldaur's tribute to New Orleans. Originally issued in 1992 on the now-defunct Black Top label, the set features
Muldaur in the company of some of the Crescent City's most storied players, including
Dr. John,
Zachary Richard, and
Aaron and
Charles Neville. Recorded at the famed Ultrasonic Studio and produced by Hammond Scott,
Muldaur uses a balance of contemporary and vintage material. Standout tracks include her gorgeous read of
Danny and
Blue Lu Barker's "Don't You Feel My Leg," and a fiery, sultry version of B. Charles' "Dem Dat Know." Songwriter
Marty Grebb contributes fine tunes, such as the title track that offers
Muldaur the opportunity to croon at her sweetest, while
Jon Cleary's stomping "Second Line" has her pulling out all the stops with
Aaron and
Charles Neville backing her. Her sense of rhythmic phrasing is, as always, impeccable. It would have been nice to hear
Muldaur take on more of the Big Easy's standards song book, but as always, she does it her way and the result is a deeply satisfying R&B album.
Louisiana Love Call and its follow-up,
Meet Me at Midnite (1994), were remastered and re-released by Shout Factory in 2005. ~ Thom Jurek