Tribal
Studio album by
Dr. John and the Lower 911
ReleasedAugust 3, 2010
Studio
GenreBlues
Length1:03:23
Label429 Records
Producer
Dr. John chronology
City That Care Forgot
(2008)		 Tribal
(2010)		 Locked Down
(2012)
Dr. John and the Lower 911 chronology
City That Care Forgot
(2008)		 Tribal
(2010)

Tribal is the second and final studio album by American musician Dr. John and his band the Lower 911. It was released on August 3, 2010, through 429 Records. Recording sessions took place at Dockside Studio in Maurice, with additional recording at The Music Shed in New Orleans and Quad Recording Studios in New York City. Production was handled by Herman Ernest III and Dr. John himself, with additional production from Chris Finney, and James Lemkin serving as associate producer. The album is dedicated to the memory of Bobby Charles.

In 2011, at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, but lost to Buddy Guy's Living Proof.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[2]
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
PopMatters6/10[6]
Record Collector[7]

Tribal was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on eight reviews.[1]

AllMusic's Thom Jurek called the album "isn't just a logical follow-up to 2008's excellent The City That Care Forgot, it's close to a career-defining summation from one of America's most important musicians".[3] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "at times, the doctor and his new band sound oddly akin to Steely Dan in a mellow mood, with lyrics only a tad less literary than that group's".[4] Randy Lewis of Los Angeles Times wrote: "sometimes the message overwhelms the music, but largely the good doctor tends to the sick without letting the well-heeled off the hook".[5]

In mixed reviews, Jonathan Kosakow of PopMatters wrote: "the poignant lyrical message conveyed through most of the album, coupled with the ability of the music to keep you uplifted, is perfectly reminiscent of the spirit of New Orleans. Even though times could be better, there is always a reason to go on".[6]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Feel Good Music"3:28
2."Lissen at Our Prayer"4:03
3."Big Gap"4:43
4."Change of Heart"3:41
5."When I'm Right (I'm Wrong)"4:15
6."Jinky Jinx"3:25
7."Manoovas"4:07
8."Tribal"6:52
9."Music Came"4:10
10."Them"3:18
11."Only in Amerika"3:10
12."Whut's wit Dat"4:33
13."Potnah"4:18
14."A Place in the Sun"4:16
15."Sleepin' in My Bed"5:38
Total length:1:03:23

Personnel

  • Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack Jr. – vocals, piano, organ, producer
  • Herman "Roscoe" Ernest III – vocals (track 10), backing vocals, drums, percussion, producer
  • David Barard – lead vocals (track 9), backing vocals, bass
  • John Fohl – backing vocals, guitar
  • Kenneth "Afro" Williams – backing vocals, percussion
  • Elaine Foster – backing vocals
  • Erica Falls – backing vocals
  • Lisa Foster – backing vocals
  • Helen Gillet – cello (track 2)
  • Harry Hardin – violin (track 2)
  • Natalia Casante – violin (track 2)
  • Lauren Lemmler – viola (track 2)
  • Derek Trucks – lead guitar (track 7)
  • Charla Herman – chanter (track 8)
  • Lulu Siker – chanter (track 8)
  • Donald Harrison – alto saxophone (tracks: 9, 14)
  • Mark Mullins – trombone (track 10)
  • Alonzo Bowens – tenor saxophone & horns arrangement
  • Carl Blouin – baritone saxophone
  • Charlie Miller – trumpet
  • Marcel Richardson – additional piano and organ
  • Wardell Quezergue – string arrangement (track 2)
  • Chris Finney – additional producer, engineering, mixing
  • James Lemkin – associate producer
  • Rick Slater – engineering (track 7)
  • Eric Heigle – engineering assistant
  • Korey Richey – engineering assistant
  • Kyle Lamy – engineering assistant
  • Jacques Delatour – engineering assistant
  • Michael Freyer – engineering assistant (track 7)
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Chris Bailey – drum technician
  • Mike Dorsey – drum technician
  • Sherry Beth Mounce – project coordinator
  • Christopher Carroll – art direction, package design
  • Babette Rittenberg – sculptures artwork
  • Luke Quinn – tribal bayou artwork
  • James Demaria – photography
  • Alexander Driscoll – additional photography
  • Zack Smith – additional photography
  • Ed Gerrard – management
  • Peter Himberger – management

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[8] 19

References

  1. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Tribal - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ May, Chris (July 7, 2010). "Dr. John and The Lower 911: Tribal album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Dr. John, Dr. John and the Lower 911 - Tribal Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Sinclair, Tom (July 28, 2010). "Tribal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Lewis, Randy (August 3, 2010). "Album review: Dr. John's 'Tribal'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Kosakow, Jonathan (August 25, 2010). "Dr. John and the Lower 911: Tribal, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ Staunton, Terry (July 31, 2010). "Tribal - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
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