The tambourine is a lead singer's best friend: It gives the lonely vocalist something to hit while his guitar player rips a mad solo. The Subdudes love the instrument so much that they have a single man dedicated to the tambourine. Steve Amed??e, the tambourine master, expresses this passion freely, and annoyingly, in the Subdudes sixth studio album Behind the Levee. Amed??e's efforts, combined with those of his four bandmates have produced an album that exudes mediocrity.
Hailing from New Orleans, The Subdudes claim to be the originators of 'gumbo rock,' a blend of soul, gospel, blues and rock. In gumbo, each ingredient is supposed to add a unique taste to the stew while maintaining the flavor of the dish. The Subdudes seem unaware of this, as the ingredients in their music are not even discernible.
They try to appropriate both soul and gospel, two styles of music that rely heavily on unique harmonization and incredible vocal range. Although each member of the Subdudes can sing, throwing all of them together does not produce memorable harmonies. Songs such as 'One Word' and 'Prayer of Love' bring to mind a Crosby, Stills & Nash song gone horribly wrong.
These days, blues means a signature baritone voice combined with unique guitar fills. Once again, Behind the Levee lacks any evidence of this genre. Throughout the album, there is a guitar with a bluesy tone played by Tommy Malone, but the distinct rhythm and inventive solos of Delta Blues are not to be found.
Rock is at least an ingredient The Subdudes win by default. If you need to find the album at Best Buy, it will be catalogued under rock, but this is the strongest argument one can make that the 'Dudes know how to rock. Making a guest appearance on the opening track 'Social and Pleasure Club' is the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, another Louisiana group. Renowned for its instrumental capabilities, the Dirty Dozen is used merely as background noise to the Subdudes, a performance which will surely disappoint those who are familiar with their prior releases. This run-of-the-mill quality that marks their instrumental work is unfortunately carried on into the lyrics.
With the Subdudes' minimalist sound, one would believe that their lyrics would show their songwriting depth. Yet with clich?? premises, meaningless situations and dull lyrical content, audiences will find it difficult to connect with any music they put forth. 'Papa Dukie and the Mud People,' the album's first single, has a chorus consisting of 'Nah-nah-nah/Behind the Levee!' Apparently, the phrase was good enough for naming an album but useless for spurring inventive lyrics. Behind the Levee and the Subdudes need to go back on the stove, because their gumbo rock is not quite done, and it's just going to get cold sitting out on the shelves.
