Take the sounds of New Orleans brass, Prince-style funk, hip-hop beats and power chord axe-riffing. Stir them all together, add in an assortment of high-profile guests, and you produce the genre-defying greatness that is For True.
At an age when most kids are developing a taste for solid food, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews was lugging his horn around the Tremé district of New Orleans, where he was born and raised. This follow-up to last year's Grammy-nominated Backatown from the horn player and his wonderfully monikered Orleans Avenue band – Michael “Bass” Ballard (on, er, bass), Pete “Freaky Pete” Murano (guitar), Dan “Uncle Potato Chip” Oestreicher and Tim “True Blood” McFatter (saxes), Joey “In And Out” Peebles and Dwayne “Big D” Williams (percussion) – has “crossover smash” written all over it.
Dubbing his music “supafunkrock”, Andrews sets out his stall on album opener “Buckjump”, which features New Orleans compadres the Rebirth Brass Band and rapper 5th Ward Weebie in a monumental, multilayered brass-fuelled jam. The tracklist judiciously mixes similarly pulsating instrumentals – if “Nervis” and “Dumaine St” don't set your head nodding, then it's definitely time to make an appointment with the rhythm doctor – with memorable songs (Ledisi's lead vocal on “Then There Was You” takes the breath away).
Guests include Kid Rock (“Mrs Orleans”), Jeff Beck (“Do To Me”) and Lenny Kravitz (“Roses”) - a 2005 world tour in Kravitz's horn section that included Aerosmith on the same bill could explain Andrews' penchant for power chords – but this is clearly TS's gig. Writing or co-writing all 14 tracks, and playing as much trumpet (superbly) as trombone, he also contributes piano, organ, drums and percussion. Oh, and he sings like a veteran soul man too. Now, really, is that fair?
Watch Trombone Shorty perform "Do To Me" on Conan
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