On his latest CD Restless Natives New Orleans
transplant Billy Iuso seems to have matured greatly.
Focusing on songwriting and structure rather than
lengthy jams that go nowhere, Iuso has crafted a nice
collection of songs – a wonderful accomplishment from
a member of the New Orleans jam-oriented community.
He recently told me, “I’m not trying to be a ‘rock
star’ anymore.” This new, laid back, attitude shines
through the music, combining an impressive breadth of
original compositions with interesting covers. For
this latest project, Iuso’s Restless Natives consist
of some of New Orleans’ top (if not nationally known)
musicians. The core band consists of Iuso on guitar
and vocals, “Mean” Willie Green (Neville Brothers) on
drums, Mark Pero (Papa Grows Funk) on bass, Sam
Hotchkiss (juice) on guitar, and Chris Marsceill on
keys, and a large array of New Orleans musicians make
appearances throughout.
Iuso is cut from the “Peace through Music” cloth, an
ideal which shines through in the opener, a cover of
Wet Willie’s “Keep on Smiling.” The opening tune adds
vocalist Shannon McNally and has a definite Southern
tone like to original, reminding me of smoky juke
joints as well as sunny day outdoor festivals. In a
word, it is “happy.” What can I say? I like happy.
The next tune, an original named “Two Deep in the
Shadows” is a swamp-a-delic rendezvous that glides
down smooth and mellow. Iuso’s maturing songwriting
skills allow the song to feel funky but not forced.
Chris Marsceill takes center stage on “Come C New
Orleans,” a Professor Longhair inspired instrumental
which would be a hit at any Carnival party. The
Natives take on Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon” is simply
wonderful. The horn section consisting of Kirk Joseph
(Dirty Dozen) on sousaphone, Mark Mullins (Bonerama)
on trombone and Satoru Ohashi (New Orleans
Nightcrawlers) on trumpet take the song to the streets
and give it a Crescent City feel. Tamika Jett’s added
vocals lend some soul that fills in the sound. “Your
Just a Memory” follows. The simple song structure and
autowah guitar fit perfectly together, giving the
lyrics a chance to shine forth and the song a chance
to breathe. Iuso’s time spent in New Orleans comes
through in “The Heavy,” a dark funk tune drive by
clavinet and Ryan Plattsmier’s (the public) bass work.
An interesting cover of the Grateful Dead’s “The
Other One” follows. I call it interesting because it
is strays from the original into dark and funky
territory, and does it well. Taking a quick left turn
into instrumental jazz territory, “Da Minor Jam”
features Pero’s bass and drummer Bryan Besse trading
licks back and forth in a tasteful show of talent.
Nori Naraoka (Big Sam’s Funky Nation) joins on bass as
Iuso remains in mellow jazz mode for the final cut
entitled “Candle,” a ballad that rounds out and winds
down the project. Not to leave on a mellow note, Iuso
recruits Ivan Neville (Dumpsta Funk) and Russell
Batiste (funky Meters) for the “bonus” cut “Runnin
High” a straight-ahead funk romp that reminds me why I
like Iuso’s music in the first place – he rocks. But
don’t tell him I said so.
