VA - Sound of New Orleans 1992-2005 (2009)

This is a two-CD complilation that cherry picks the catalog of Gary Edwards' Sound of New Orleans label. S.O. N. O. has always been very much a blue-collar label. Their roster doesn't really have any high profile artists, the CDs don't sport any 'arty' covers and they've never had anything that resembles a hit. Often, artists' sales from the bandstand amount to more than what regular retail sales amount to. However, Edwards managed to release some damn good CDs until Hurricane Katrina sucker-punched him and his label. He literally lost everything. Because of the concept of this 40-track collection, it has a shotgun approach. There are lots of different artists and styles of music. There are recognizable names including the Zion Harmonizers, Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and Tommy Ridgley, but there are also artists that even in the household of a New Orleans music buff, are totally unknown. There is a conscious effort here to assemble songs strongly associated with New Orleans, i.e. 'Go to the Mardi Gras,' 'Hey Pocky Way,' Sick and Tired,' etc. In iTunes terminology, if there was a 'New Orleans Party Shuffle' playlist, this CD would fit the bill. Lots of listenable stuff here and a nice tribute to a guy who never got the credit he deserves.