Dr. John – The Brightest Smile In Town (1983/2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Dr. John – The Brightest Smile In Town (1983/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:13:53 minutes | 711 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Modern Harmonic

The second of back-to-back solo albums cut in the early ’80s, The Brightest Smile in Town presents a more balanced mix of vocal and instrumental tracks than its predecessor, Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack. While it’s fun to hear the great New Orleans pianist romp through “Box Car Boogie” and patiently work his way through the twilight blues of “Pretty Libby,” the unexpected treats are the best: a heartsick version of Jimmy Rodgers’s “Waiting for a Train;” a Doc Pomus cover, “Average Kind of Guy,” that sounds like Randy Newman on a particularly good day; and “Marie La Veau,” a highly syncopated bow to one of the Crescent City’s many voodoo queens. By the time Rebennack ends Brightest Smile with two gorgeous instrumentals–a lovely take on Harold Arlen’s “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “Suite Home New Orleans”–you’re reminded just how encyclopedic his knowledge of American music is.

Tracklist:
1. Dr. John – Saddled The Cow (02:48)
2. Dr. John – Boxcar Boogie (05:15)
3. Dr. John – The Brightest Smile In Town (03:11)
4. Dr. John – Waiting For A Train (03:20)
5. Dr. John – Monkey Puzzle (04:40)
6. Dr. John – Average Kind Of Guy (03:31)
7. Dr. John – Pretty Libby (03:12)
8. Dr. John – Marie La Veau (03:55)
9. Dr. John – Come Rain Or Come Shine (04:42)
10. Dr. John – Suite Home New Orleans (03:50)
11. Dr. John – Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (03:52)
12. Dr. John – Yesterdays (01:34)
13. Dr. John – Key To The Highway (03:42)
14. Dr. John – Lowdown Worried And Blue (03:48)
15. Dr. John – Touro Infirmary (04:48)
16. Dr. John – Sippiania Midnight (02:15)
17. Dr. John – Didn’t He Ramble / Closer Walk With Thee (06:31)
18. Dr. John – Mississippi Mud (01:58)
19. Dr. John – The Brightest Smile In Town (Extended Alternate) (06:51)

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