New Record of the Week: Shane Theriot's "Dirty Power"

What do you get when you take a good-ol’ Cajun boy steeped in blues-rock riffage and send him out on the road with the Neville Brothers for a years-long tutelage in soul-funk?

As you’d hope, you get a set of incredibly accomplished, tuneful variations on inside-out swamp grease – such as what you find on guitarist Shane Theriot’s new disc “Dirty Power.”

The title may be a political dig at the forces that have destroyed Louisiana’s flood-protecting barrier swamps, but to us this record is dirty indeed – in all the best senses of the word.

This could have been a bloodless shredder (think Robben Ford). But Shane’s innate sense of gut-bucket rhythm and witty restraint (think Lowell George) make this a most worthy successor to all that Louisiana means in the world of funk.

Like the best of the early Meters, Shane serves up a set of 10 all-instrumental tracks that keep you interested with their Sophisticated Cissy grooves. That there’s no vocals just so happens to make these tracks all the more attractive for potential film usage.

Sidemen include Richie Hayward of Little Feat, Zigaboo Modeliste of the Meters, New Orleans maestros Johnny Vidacovich and David Torkanowsky and L.A. session masters Jim Keltner and James “Hutch” Hutchinson (Nevilles, Longhair, Bonnie Raitt, etc.). Masters-of-the-groove coincidence? We think not.

Chalk it up to Shane’s funkified Rolodex and insider’s respect.

Our favorite here is “Mr. Ed,” which slows down the tempo and dials up the heat. With a cowboy melody that conjures Sergio Leone on crunk, a cameo from Sonny Landreth kicks it into high-plains swamp heaven. Not that we’re saying this compares to Eric Clapton and Duane Allman egging each other into ever-higher flights on the “Layla” sessions or anything, but…

Posted in categories: New artists and bands