Blues
Thunder Chicken, the debut album from Austin's Papa Mali & The Instigators, is a powerful concoction of lowdown Texas swamp blues and New Orleans second line funk. Malcolm Welbourne, a.k.a. Papa Mali, gets it honest though. He grew up sandwiched between the two states, just outside of Shreveport, Louisiana. He spent many summers visiting his grandparents in New Orleans and soaking up the rhythms that are impossible to ignore. And he's spent untold years honing his skills in one of the greatest music towns anywhere: Austin, Texas. Welbourne was also a founding member of the Killer Bees, a widely acclaimed reggae band who hit their heyday in the 1980s.
On Thunder Chicken, Papa Mali explores his memories of growing up in Shreveport. Many of the original songs here revolve around his youthful shenanigans of sneaking across town to buy a cheap, fortified wine called Thunder Chicken ("Keep Happy") or the retelling of family superstitions by his grandmother ("Skeleton Bug"). Having been so deeply influenced by New Orleans, it's only natural that a couple of Crescent City songs be included too and the choices here are great. The Wild Magnolia's "Fire Water" is New Orleans funk, and these guys do it right with thick, nasty grooves and Welbourne's soulful Dr. John-like voice. The version of Dr. John's "Guilded Splinters" here is just downright spooky - don't listen to this one with the lights off unless you just want to hallucinate dancing spirits on the walls as chills roll down your spine. (It's all right if you do, though). Papa Mali is one hell of guitarist too, and his bone-chilling slide work here will also make you shiver.
As for the Instigators, they're no novices either. Welbourne's chief collaborator here is drummer Barry "Frosty" Smith who has played with everyone from Sly and the Family Stone to Delbert McClinton to Soul Hat. Frosty's tasty second line beats put the spice in the gumbo and propel such tunes as the R&B-flavored "I'm the One" and the classic "Bon Temps Roulet."
Like all Fog City CD releases, Thunder Chicken is an "Enhanced CD", which means you get all kinds of goodies when you pop the thing in your computer's CD-ROM drive. There are extensive liner notes, of course. But there's also a guided tour through Welbourne's record collection and commentary about his biggest musical influences. Mr. Papa Mali also makes a handful of BBQ and Tex Mex restaurant suggestions for your next trip to Austin. Best of all, there's a complete video for "Guilded Splinters" on the CD. All of this is great, especially since the CD doesn't cost any more than a regular CD, but shouldn't overshadow the fact that Thunder Chicken is an impressive release, and already one of my favorite releases from 2000. Like the wine, Thunder Chicken, the CD will make you feel good.
By Tom Speed.
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01. All Right You Got It
02. Bon Ton Roulet
03. Man Of Many Words
04. Walk On Guilded Splinters
05. Im The One
06. La Bebida Por Su Vida
07. Keep Happy
08. Fleabite Junior The Third
09. If I Ever Get Right
10. Fire Water
11. Cottonfields And Bayous
12. Skeleton Bug
13. South Austin Lullaby
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