The Desperate Kingdom of Love

CD The Desperate Kingdom of Love C.J. Chenier

In the autumn of 2005, just prior to recording this album, the delta region of the United States was leveled by two vicious hurricanes. These killer storms decimated much of Louisiana and large sections of C.J. Chenier's hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. As much of the new material for The Desperate Kingdom of Love was composed during the aftermath, it is understandable that the overall tone is darker than is typical of his previous work. Using Bob Dylan’s collaboration with The Band as a model, C.J. called in The Tarbox Ramblers and session pianist Joe Deleault. Inspired by Rudy Van Gelder’s 1950s-era jazz recordings for Blue Note and the legacy of Clifton Chenier, the musicians quickly rehearsed the set list and recorded it studio-live with minimal overdubs. C.J. reached back into his father's songbook for a few choice tunes and also included songs by Hank Williams and P.J. Harvey. The Fender Rhodes organ-driven "Learnin’ To Live" highlights C.J.'s early Motown influences while "Bogalusa Boogie" is a tribute to the Clarence Gatemouth Brown, a revered blues legend who died only days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home in southwest Louisiana. The album concludes with Van Morrison's "Comfort You," an elegiac yet uplifting waltz-poem of healing and renewed hope.