New Orleans can be called as the treasury of music, however, it came to have almost no new hits carrying its originality since in the '80s. Especially since the disco inferno, musicians of the land has kept worrying about which way they should go. "Whether should I keep on doing the old music, or should I look for the pop one ?" Someone joined in the oldies circuit. Someone went to big cities and never came back. And someone played old-time music in a more vivid way. And so on and so forth. While some of the members has played since in the '50s, it is unexpectedly late that the Neville Brothers began working together since in the late '70. They were involved in the middle of the worries. Low voice as stern as his face and keyboard are from Art. High beautiful voice not like his stern face and the inimitable yodeling delivery come from Aaron. Loose and syncopated rhythm is riveted by Cyril. Moody saxophone is Charles'. The axis of four men is supported by from their acquaintances, friends to their sons. While their ability of live performance is furious, their energy sometimes seems to be reduced when in the studio. Despite it, the wonderful moment of their music lasts to this day.
Although I have no their recent discs, I dare say that the ones around '90 are their finest studio works harmonizing their live ability with popular sound. Among them what I am most driven by is "Brother's Keeper", which had heart-warming sounds and voices, aside from messages of the lyrics, for me who had been depressed. It should be taken so sentimental that I love Fearless, the sublime voice of Aaron drawn close by Linda Ronstadt' chorus, and Fallin' Rain, the spreading reverberation and Art's heart-rending voice. But I had been such like this. It goes without saying that I cannot miss their masterpiece "Yellow Moon". As you can hear the vocal and saxophone of Yellow Moon or the rhythm and horn of Fire and Brinstone , Daniel Lanois' magnificent and exquisite and precise production is fantastic together with the viewpoint of mystic New Orleans represented by voo-doo. Aaron's "Warm Your Heart" co-produced by Linda Ronstadt is also in my reminiscences, from Randy Newman's epic about the old flood Louisiana 1927 to Ave Maria which should have been picked up by some films. However, what I had been looking forward to listening as their next album was, it seemed to me, a stuff in which they sought the vogue so much that they stood on their unsteady feet. It is true that I talked impolitely for those who love such ones. But their thirst for a hit ended in vain, and I think they should have been better if they leaned on the touch of good persons around them. It is often differnt between what those around them wish them to be and what they want to be. I guess so and I get to dig their roots of music.
Their discs compiling until in the mid-'80s, "Treacherous" and "Treacherous Too !", start telling the first chapter Art of the brothers' story. Art had shown his various aspects, from Mardi Gras Mambo to which you should be moved to shake your maracas, '50s rock'n'roll Zing, Zing, to Allen Toussaint's novelty tune Skeet Skat, got to lead the Meters since in the late '60s. Cyril cut pretty cool tunes like Gossip and joined the Meters. Aaron sang Toussaint's productions such as Over You or Waiting at the Station, and then released his greatest hits ever Tell It LIke It Is from Par-Lo label ( you can hear it on some like "Tell It Like It Is" ). It is not too much to say that folks like Linda Ronstadt remembered and featured the Nevilles thanks to this majestic and beautiful ballad. The brothers finally got to work together after they backed the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans origin in the name of the Wild Tchoupitoulas. Aside from a disco tune Dancing Jones, their renditions of the Meters Hey Pocky Way or Fire on the Bayou aren't so bad though they were cut around '80.
The reason why their live performances are said to be the strongest comes to light when you listen to their live albums. So I recommend you thier '82 recordings "Neville-ization" and "Live at Tipitina's". They are good for the recording skills at Tipitina's, the famous house in New Orleans, and you can find the obvious differnce between that heavy and vivid jobs and their studio ones around '80. In addition to their own tunes, the repertoire contains from Little Willie John's Fever, Bobby Womack's Woman's Gotta Have It, New Orleans rock'n'roll and folk songs, to the Temptations' My Girl. Their precise work is like a house which is so stable that any earthquake cannot let it down. Sometimes hard-rocking guitars are heard in the ears. Those like me who want them to be New Orleans may think them weird, however, people who run after technique turn out to be in such stages. The differnce of senses between players and listeners should be the reason why the Nevilles satisfiy themselves with being a favorite of experts, and then I find it quite interesting when I think of those who cannot deny the sound-making always responding to the expectation of the audience. (2007/12/17)