Dr. John, the night tripper GRIS-gris 1968

Just picture yourself in 1968 hearing this for the first time. I personally had no idea what to expect, but I was enthralled. And a bit confused. It is a dark backwater of a record where the rhythm of New Orleans meets the town's darkest soul.

And it still sounds weird today. It's a swampy New Orleans psychedelic trip through the delta. Made in LA with a relatively small group (several others also from the Big Easy), it sounds thick with voodoo, chanted group vocals, layered percussion, and Dr. John's gruff vocals.  

Swampy opener Gris-gris Gumbo Ya Ya, where Dr. John introduces himself as the shaman, sets the stage. The mystical chant of Danse Kalinda Ba Doom follows, full of percussion and flute and wordless chant. Soulful, funky Mama Roux lightens things a bit with a lilting chorus while it tells the story of a voodoo queen. Danse Fambeaux continues the percussion-thick chanting and strange off-kilter music.

Side two opens with Croker Courtbullion, a jazzy spaced out trip of guitar, flute, and sax solos that drift in and out through the percussive background and incomprehensible chanting. Jump Sturdy follows and offers a few minutes of melodic structure, chanted vocals, and Dr. John's funky vocals. The record closes with I Walk On Gilded Splinters, a classic that's been covered by many. It is Dr. John conjuring voodoo ritual with smoldering, ominous foreboding. It's a deep, threatening groove. 

The record takes you into the dark, swampy delta with it's magical mojo. Dr. John never made another just like it, and no one else has either. A truly unique musical experience.