ALBUM REVIEW: Pokey LaFarge Strives for Higher Ground on ‘Rhumba Country’
Jon Young
Posted On May 8, 2024
Pokey LaFarge displays such easy grace when he sings that it’s tempting to consider him a supplier of light entertainment. Don’t believe it. The stirring, deceptively fraught Rhumba Country presents vivid vignettes of restless hearts gripped by desire and loneliness, and yearning for higher ground. If this smooth troubadour ultimately strikes a positive note, his progress is hard-earned.
Pokey LaFarge (photo by Fabian Fioto)
Likewise, lazy listeners might tag him as a source of the kind of cartoonish, old-timey Americana worthy of a theme park attraction, which is also wrong. An heir to the similarly underestimated Leon Redbone and Dan Hicks, LaFarge deftly intertwines reggae, country, soul, gospel, and what have you to fashion an instantly familiar, yet curiously fresh, sound.
Co-producing with Chris Seefried and Elliot Bergman, LaFarge invents a different landscape for each song, embedding pleasing noises in the textures. The breezy “Run Run Run” could be a prime Los Lobos tune, chugging along in a wonderfully greasy groove, while “It’s Not Over” has an exhilarating hard funk edge. “Like a Sailor” boasts an exciting combination of jangly soul guitar (shades of Nile Rodgers) and garage-rock organ, and “For a Night” swings with sunny verve, featuring bright mellotron and elegant saxes.
Such appealing sounds help LaFarge deliver optimism with the persuasive fervor of a master motivational speaker, offering both spiritual and physical succor. Evoking sweet, pre-Beatles pop, the sunny “Made to Be Loved” extends unconditional acceptance to a potential lover. Highlighted by his beautiful falsetto, “Sister Andre” finds him “out on the town / Just seeking to be found,” veering into sleazier territory.
Frequently, though, LaFarge seeks transcendence. “Run Run Run” celebrates the ongoing quest to build a better life, and “It’s Not Over” fuses earthly and divine appetites, declaring, “You can’t close Heaven’s doors,” and, “Put my ring ’round your finger,” in the same breath.
Bringing the album to a soothing close, “You Make My Garden Grow” achieves pure bliss, complete with beatific whistling, as LaFarge gently croons, “In the field or on the stage … Spirit sing my song of praise,” adding, “It’s all for you … Jesus, Jesus.” But you don’t have to be a believer to be lifted by Rhumba Country. These good vibrations will inspire souls of all persuasions.
Pokey LaFarge’s Rhumba Country is out May 10 on New West Records.
