Down in New Orleans


Down in New Orleans is a gospel album by The Blind Boys of Alabama, released in 2008. It won Best Traditional Gospel Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. At the 40th GMA Dove Awards, the album won Traditional Gospel Album of the Year, and the track "Free at Last" won Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year.
Down in New Orleans debuted on the New Zealand Album Charts at #33 on April 13, 2009.

Critical reception

Reviewer Wilson McBee summarized the album thus: "In response to Katrina's disaster of bibilical proportions, the Blind Boys have made a moving tribute to the city, its people, and its music on Down in New Orleans, and if the album is neither a classic of New Orleans jazz nor of Southern gospel, it reminds us of the deep connections that have always existed between the two genres."
Jessica Lopa assessed that "With its twelve tracks, each one a definitive expression of the ageless story of an honest life and its reaping, Down in New Orleans is a positive force characterized by a wealth of musical ability."
Andrew Gilstrap wrote that "Down in New Orleans isn't as slick as recent Blind Boys efforts — partly because Carter's voice holds more rasp than Fountain's — but it successfully blends the group's deep gospel roots with the city's musical identity."
Robin Denselow found that "This is a Blind Boys album with an intriguing new twist."
In his critical review, Andy Gill states that "only a couple of tracks – "You Got To Move", given a revivalist treatment, and a version of Curtis Mayfield's "A Prayer" featuring genuinely moving vocal interplay – come up to the group's usual standard."

Track listing

All tracks Traditional; except where indicated
  1. "Free At Last" - 3:32
  2. "Let's Make a Better World" - 3:19
  3. "How I Got Over" - 5:03
  4. "You Got to Move" - 3:35
  5. "Across the Bridge" - 3:41
  6. "You Better Mind" - 3:49
  7. "Down by the Riverside" - 3:51
  8. "If I Could Help Somebody" - 2:28
  9. "Uncloudy Day" - 2:55
  10. "A Prayer" - 3:30
  11. "I've Got a Home" - 2:51
  12. "I'll Fly Away" - 3:30

    Awards

The album won a Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year at the 40th GMA Dove Awards.