Primarily known for his piano playing, multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Jack Spann often draws comparisons to Steve Winwood, Ben Folds, Joe Jackson and Billy Joel. But on his new nine-and-a-half-minute single, “Jesus of New Orleans,” the guy who played on the demos for David Bowie’s Blackstar has never sounded more playful. This stomping serving of rock ’n’ soul ’n’ jazz with slices of cheese and fuzz pays tribute to a man who “looks like a Manson in blue jeans/And 2 his many fans who love 2 watch him dance/They call him Jesus of New Orleans.”
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“He likes Satchmo, Fats Domino, Ernie K. Doe, Li’l Romeo he likes Jelly Roll/He likes the Crew of Zulu/He’s got voodoo, got a hoodoo, he likes gumbo, half Creole/Got the bayou, got the Seminole, Bap bap bap.”
If you listen closely, you’ll hear echoes of Blondie’s “Rapture,” Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and some of Bruce Hornsby’s more experimental latter-day work.
On this two-song, 14-minute CD single -- a dance mix and a radio edit -- Spann handles lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar and bass, and he’s backed by a supporting cast of guests on drums, percussion, trombone, alto sax, violin and other instruments. I’m not sure if “Jesus of New Orleans” will make its way to your local terrestrial radio station, but it’s more fun than anything you’ve heard up and down the dial all week. And the song's insistent hooks will keep you dancin' all day.
Check out the funky video, and then go track down Spann’s back catalog, which is now three albums deep.
Track Listing:
1. Jesus of New Orleans (Dance Mix)
2. Jesus of New Orleans (Radio Edit)
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