Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats [2 CD]

It wasn't until Fats Domino's New Orleans house was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina that many people realized the great R&B pioneer was still alive. Now 79 and fairly reclusive, Domino had a tremendous influence on '50s popular music, his infectious boogie-woogie and triplet-based piano style forming much of the DNA of rock, and influencing scores of artists from Elvis Presley to the Beatles and beyond. To show their appreciation, a plethora of luminaries from rock, jazz, R&B, country, folk, and blues have united for this two-disc, 30-track valentine to Domino, which features modern takes on his timeless music. "United" is a literal term here--while some performers appear solo (Elton John on "Blueberry Hill," Corinne Bailey Rae on the scorching live cut, "One Night (of Sin)"), many of the tracks offer unexpected gumbo-like "mixtures," i.e., Joss Stone teaming with Buddy Guy and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on "Every Night about this Time." Occasionally, things stray remarkably far from Domino's blueprint (jazz great Herbie Hancock churns it up with George Porter, Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, and Renard Poche on "I'm Gonna be a Wheel Someday"), while Paul McCartney goes the other route, offering a too-worshipful vocal impersonation ("I Want to Walk You Home"), with fellow legend Allen Toussaint on piano. Still, fine performances abound, especially Neil Young's "Walking to New Orleans," which seethes with political anger, Lucinda Williams' roots-romance of "Honey Chile," and Robbie Robertson and Galactic's visionary "Going to the River." Almost secondarily, the collection serves as an eye-opening look at the thematic span of Domino's recorded output, and, like his Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans, released in August 2007, it should bring renewed awareness of his legacy. The iconic musician suffered more than damage to his house in Katrina--looters stole many of his possessions, including his '50s gold records. Here's hoping Goin' Home… will yield a replacement. --Alanna Nash