Doug Duffey and B.A.D.D. — “Souvenirs” — Fort Sumner Music
Louisiana native Doug Duffey has been drawing his musical inspiration from the fertile roots of the Mississippi Delta for more than half a century, cooking up a soulful gumbo laced with the spicy ingredients of his singing, songwriting and keyboard wizardry.
Duffey describes his music as: “One hundred percent original Louisiana blues, delta soul, bayou funk, and gumbo jazz, producing a sound best described as Swampedelic.”
He’s served up this soulful elixir from New Orleans to the rest of the world with national and international performances. Duffey has created his music long and powerfully enough to be enshrined in the Delta Music Museum’s Hall-of-Fame, National Blues and Louisiana Halls of Fame, and just last year, the Northeast Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Now, Duffey has released Souvenirs, the followup to his acclaimed Ain’t Goin’ Back. with his very good band, BADD (a title carved from the first initials of band members’ first names). The members include Duffey on vocals and keyboards; Dan Sumner on guitars, bass, vocals and percussion; Adam Ryland on drums and percussion, and Ben Ford on bass. Special guests include: Matt Morgan on mandolin, Mason Howard on accordion, Bob Dowell on trombone, Bert Windham and Coby Heath on trumpet, Nate Johnson on tenor sax and Wes Rougeou on sousaphone, plus the background vocals of Betsy Shirley and Naomi Holder. Duffy and Sumner wrote the songs and produced.
All that talent gathers to offer songs of love, loss and good advice in a spirited session that draws its inspiration from Duffey’s Louisiana roots. These BADD boys open with Broken Heart and Empty Hand, a gently swinging regret for a lost love: “Though I did nuthin’ wrong, I’m feelin’ guilt and shame / But I know in my heart that I’m the only one to blame.” On Bad Luck, Duffey’s B3 adds depth and richness to his complaint that if it wasn’t for bad luck… “I’m talkin’ bout bad luck, jes keep on comin’ / Bad luck ain’t lettin’ go.”’ Better By Me builds a stinging guitar line as it rocks along with a chorus in the background and its grievance right up front: “We only held on, cause I was willing to fight / But one of these days, you’re gonna wish you’d done better by me.”
Delta Melody is gorgeous ballad with Duffey’s aching vocal reaching lovingly into the past: “I think of the time we sat and drank wine, down by the river / Loving each other, with night as our cover, with moss as our bed / As you thickly spread all your warm love over me.” Axe Jes Rite shifts into a swampy blues groove that lopes along with its sly lyricism: “I knows a gal what stays by the mill / She swears she won’t but I think she will / Iiz u axe her jes rite.” Sinking Into the Blues is a tough shuffle with a rocking piano solo leading deep into the blues: “Well, I can’t stop cryin’ and baby I aint lyin’ / But there ain’t no denyin’ i’m sinkin into the blues.”
Love Song has an old-timey vibe with crisp honky-tonk piano driving a good old-fashioned love song: “When your heart is filled with love / Nothing can be wrong.” Souvenirs is a delicate farewell, a letting go of memories at the end: “Leaving all I’ve known, leaving without fear / Leaving behind all my souvenirs.” The rousing closer, Don’t Let the Darkness In, is a New Orleans horn-fueled admonition that builds from its gentle opening bars and then marches off in a rollicking street-parade finale: “Don’t let the darkness in, don’t let it take control / Open your heart and let in the light, and let it fill your soul.”
Doug Duffey’s Souvenirs is a delightful journey through his Louisiana roots, nourished by the tasty Swampedelic gumbo that is as good as BADD can be.
Here’s “Better By Me” from the album:
Tracklist:
- Broken Heart and Empty Hand — 5:08
- Bad Luck — 4:43
- Better By Me — 4:04
- Delta Melody — 5:04
- Axe Jes Rite — 5:11
- Sinking Into the Blues — 2:27
- Love Song — 4:36
- Souvenirs — 3:21
- Don’t Let the Darkness In — 4:54
