The weather is nice. It’s summer. So let’s forget the torments of the world, even a moment. The holidays are approaching. What better pleasure than listening to good music by car? Because music also helps to travel far and inexpensively. You are on Breton roads and, yet, it is enough from the latest album of Doobia Brothers, Walk This Roadto believe in California. From this music “West Coast”, Georges Lang, the unbeatable “Mr. Rock” of RTLwrote in the booklet of a hearty box of four CDs, Californiawhich was dedicated to him: “If you are not driving, close your eyes and dream of these large spaces, these sandy beaches and these palm trees, these giant cacti, these joshua trees of the Mojave desert. »»
When America was still frequentable …
The golden age of the West Coast is therefore the 1970s. That is an era during which the “Golden State” is still almost frequentable. The one where the left has not become a wokist but libertarian and carefree, before turning into a sect of the moral order. In short, this damn left was better before. In his test, Soft rock, Summer Breeze & California Groovesthe very learned Arnaud Choutet recalls: “At the beginning of the 70s, following the social and political turbulence of the previous decade, rock fragments and resurfaces in California in a light, neat and harmonious form, rooted in country and folk. »»
It was the time of America, James Taylor, Eagles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: a distinguished pop with angelic choirs and air melodies. Snobs then claim, disdainful, that it is about “Easy music”. Band of Boeotians who should know that the more it looks simple outdoors and the more complex inside. Hence months spent in the studio. Do and undo to finally start again, again and again, to better try to achieve excellence. The Doobies Brothers who occupy us today were of this species now almost disappeared.
In France, few people knew these “firecrackers” …
This training, little known in France, was at the time a real American institution. Founded in 1970, she persists to last, giving, from time to time, commemorative concerts, when the old bones of Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee, its surviving members, allow them. Their greatest success, Long Train Runnin’is one of the few to have been celebrated in our regions; Although the rest of their discography was nevertheless known here by some enlightened amateurs, for which the simple statement of these two words, « Doobie Brothers »was a bit of a password between initiates.
For the record, remember that in Californian slang, « doobie » means “joint”. We are therefore dealing with sacred “firecrackers”. Which have nevertheless kept all their minds, the sale of forty million records in the world not being exactly the sign of relaxed brains. Moreover, and this, unlike the above -mentioned Eagles, the Orgiac lifestyle, with group parties from breakfast, the Doobia were people without history, quiet Americans. And with this last album, we can feel that it still fits, under the Stetson. Indeed, after 80s, the period at which synthesizers became increasingly invasive – a shame, for a group of old -fashioned country -, this Walk The Road Divinely revives tradition. After all, harmonicas, violins, brass brass and good old guitars, acoustic and electric, it is not only for dogs and other coyotes with yellow liver.
Hence these ten songs – sometimes you have to know how to make concise -, carried by an undoubtedly melodic grace, warm and powerful voices and old -fashioned arrangements, finally rid of their electronic tinters. In short, it’s always nice to see that the past can still have a future. To be convinced, listen to the eponymous song, interpreted with the immense Mavis Staples which, at 86 years old, is no longer exactly the partridge of the year.
In the meantime, the joyful band, even if more completely very young, is about to leave for a new world tour which should go through Europe. But unfortunately not by France. Ingrats!
Print, save this article in pdf
