When the topic of the Neville Brothers come up, it’s usually the honey-voiced Aaron or Meters cornerstone Art who get the most mention. But their underrated sibling Cyril Neville has been a serious player in the New Orleans R&B scene, too.
Cyril, after all, provided his percussion and vocal help for the Meters just as they were peaking with Fire On the Bayou. (That’s his charming rambling on “They All Ask’d for You.”) Then he quickly proved to be an indispensable member of the Neville Brothers: Cyril brought his love for reggae and other forms of world music to the group, which did much to shape their sound. On some days, “My Blood” is my favorite cut from the Neville Brothers’ Yellow Moon, because of his sincere and passionate lead vocal.
Outspoken and street tough — Cyril once survived a brutal throat slashing — he became the conscience of the Neville Brothers and an outspoken advocate, famously authoring an angry article about injustice and why he didn’t return to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. (Neville left for Austin, Texas, after the storm.)
Now, I don’t believe that burning passion always translates into good music, but I do believe that in Cyril Neville’s case it made his music better. There remained a focus and clarity that’s unfortunately often lacking with many of his contemporaries. That passion, to a large degree, was the driving force behind Brand New Blues, released in April 2009.
Combine that with the African, Caribbean and Creole temperament of his blues music, and it’s a little bit like Taj Mahal. Actually, if Taj had made Brand New Blues, it would have been considered one of his better records – that’s how good this record was. And why is that? Because Taj finds the blues in just about every style, mood and tempo of roots music, and so does Cyril Neville.
The kickoff track “I Found Joy” was a buoyant, second-line blues in the proud tradition of Professor Longhair. The title track exuded that Hi Records soul sound of Al Green, but with a funkier edge. Neville then moved headlong into funk-rock with “Shake Your Gumbo,” a riff-heavy number mashed up with rich African percussion that Cyril pulled off with the swaggering persona of Slim Harpo.
“I’ll Take Care of You” thrived in Bobby “Blue” Bland territory. “Cream Them Beans” was a playful rewrite of “Scratch My Back,” and “Move My Mountain” is a hand-clapping gospel number. An update of Bob Marley’s “Slave Driver,” the extended closer, was a slow blues replete with gutter-low guitar and Cyril Neville’s convincing rendering of despair. He turned the song into a heart-wrenching lament over a city exploited and neglected, his native post-Katrina New Orleans.
It adds up to an aptly titled project. Blues records this gritty, honest and culturally rich don’t come around that often.
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