Unlock Your Mind

Sound DNA

• Brass & Military

About

This New Orleans brass band displays nice range on 2012’s <i>Unlock Your Mind</i>. The group, which has appeared on the dramatic TV series <i>Treme</i>, was founded by drummers Lumar LeBlanc (snare) and Derrick Moss (bass). <i>Unlock Your Mind</i> features a number of guests, including Trombone Shorty and Meters guitarist Leo Nocentelli. The octet’s basic sound is displayed on the opener, “504,” which has pleasingly soulful singing. (The song’s title refers to the Big Easy’s area code.) The group then turns its attention to a striking cover of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” in a performance that starts slow before blasting off. The title track—a hit for The Staple Singers in the late '70s—gets a reggae workout, and Lee Dorsey’s “Night People” ripples with go-go funk rhythms. Several cuts have not-bad rapping, but the swagger is mostly provided by the instrumentalists. The band brings a rumbling joyousness to Stevie Wonder’s art-soul gem “Living for the City,” while “Palm,” with a Brazilian groove and sweet trombone solo, serves as a closer.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

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