Artist:     Brian Langlinais

Album:     Right Hand Road

Label:     Patoutville Records

Release Date:     09/16/2016

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Great roots soul with a Louisiana heart, this is what Brian Langlinais brings to the table. He has some real talent, and these songs are infectious, with vocals that have a hint of Elvis Costello. The band consists of Brian Langlinais on lead vocals and guitar, with fellow Louisianians Ron Eoff on bass, Patterson Barrett on keys and mandolin, Bryan Brignac on drums and Charlene Howard on backup vocals. Other musicians on the record include James Pennebaker on guitar and lap steel, Steve Conn on piano and organ, Lynn Williams on drums and Jonell Mosser on backup vocals.

You’ve got to hand it to this tight band, there are some catchy riffs, notably “You Can’t Say I Didn’t Love You,” which opens with some growling toms before launching into a soulful lament over lost love with a woman that the singer “always thought was the queen of soul with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude.” With the help of the band, Langlinais turns Wilson Pickett’s classic “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You” into a soulful Cajun tune that drives you to tap your feet. Langlinais and Duncan co-wrote the title track, a cut-to-the-bone Delta blues where Duncan’s guitar manages to slip around and under the lyrics of love and longing.

Fantastic juke joint piano carries the next track, creating a sweaty jazz of “Louisiana Love,” you’ll be feeling the desire of the singer and his woman. In an album where every track feels deep and real, “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday” and “Don’t Go No Further” are standouts. The album ends a sweet song that Langlinais and Duncan co-write “Our Love is Slipping Away,” a Mississippi blues ballad about lost love.

Right Hand Road makes a joyful noise with some infectious riffs, and vocals that might just hit you right in the gut.

– Laura Sedor