On the cover, an adorable photo of a little boy, lifted up by his mother, playing along on a plastic saxophone with a marching band. Troy Andrews knew what he wanted from an early age and was five when he actually played trombone with a marching band in his hometown of New Orleans. He always retained the stage name Trombone Shorty. Meanwhile, this thirty-something played with everyone from
U2 to
… Lenny Kravitz and Eric Clapton. On his own albums, he always stayed true to his New Orleans roots, as can be heard on Lifted. The swampy, 70s-sauced music sounds festively noisy and endlessly funky. Of course with a lot of swaying brass, but also gospel and juju chants. Once in a while there is even heavy rocking and Trombone Shorty is especially reminiscent of Kravitz. Lifted thus shoots in all directions but always sounds exuberant like the city where Andrews was born and raised. (MR)more
