Locked DownNonesuch ****

His wiry idiosyncratic voice may be wavering, showing the rigours of his 50-plus years in the business, but Dr John, aka Mac Rebennack, has lost none of his sassy, soulful New Orleans spirit, to judge by this remarkable debut for his latest label, Nonesuch. It seems that septuagenarians are the new cool with Lenny C, Bobby Z and Paul S still cooking. You can add Dr John to that list, as the musical gumbo that he has concocted with producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys is his best work in years. There is a strong retro spirit running through the funky, feverish rhythms, but Auerbach infuses the 10 tracks with contemporary twists and turns, chunky bluesy guitars, staccato brass and angel choirs so that Dr John's shady tales and angry protest never sound dated. Rebennack clearly relished Auerbach's lavish attention. "It was way cool," he has said of the experience. Too right. nitetripper.com

Download tracks: God Done Good, Big Shot, You Lie