City That Care Forgot (429): A-
After cruising into the 21st century as a mellow singer of standards, Dr. John digs his voodoo robes out of the closet to transform himself into a musical superhero: the master of the funktastic, who emerges from semi-retirement to fight a powerful warlord. Though he doesn’t mention him directly, Doc’s nemesis is clearly George W. Bush (Dick Cheney, however, does get called out by name). While the destruction of New Orleans and the government’s ineffectual response to it is the chief source of Dr. John’s fury, he’s equally aggravated by what he sees as a war in Iraq motivated by love of money, not freedom. But “City That Care Forgot” is more than a depressing diatribe thanks to the upbeat music, Dr. John’s funkiest in years. On a couple of tunes he even summons the spooky vibe of his earliest incarnation as a musical voodoo shaman. No wonder. Saving New Orleans will require all the magic its sons and daughters can muster. Download: “Dream Warrior.”
