Patrick Cooper - Gris Gris in Your Face

The first thing I wanted to know when I got this CD is what does Gris Gris mean? I thought it might be something to eat, but no! The Merriam-Webster dictionary tells me that it is “an amulet or incantation used chiefly by people of black African ancestry”, something to do with voodoo. Mr. Cooper hails from New Orleans so it must be something that folks know about down there. I found out from the song, “Happy Boy Blues,” in the line:

I’m coming back to Louisiana to put the devil in his place.
With the help of Cajun outlaws I’ll throw the gris gris in his face.

This song also has a wonderful caterwauling mouth harp and great blues lines like

I got myself a woman who treats me nice.

and

Papa is a hillbilly, mama is a cajun queen.

He has a Harry Chapin/Harry Nilsson-esque voice -- kind of gritty and bluesy. He plays his tunes with an earnest energy – story songs about life in the city, burning the candles at both ends, hard times, love songs, and people who need to improve their character.

“Holly Beach” tells the story of the hardship endured by people struck by Hurricane Katrina and then by Hurricane Rita a couple of years later. The line “There’s just sand where a town used to be,” sums it up.

“Courtesy of Valerie” is a catchy, bouncy little love song. It reminds me of something that The Rascals might have written.

“No Time to Cry,” would have made Hank Williams proud. I want to hear a yodel in this one, I want to hear him yodel the word, ‘blue’. It’s a great little country tune with these lines:

I could discover more ways to give my body abuse...do whatever it takes to let my demons loose...

“Don’t Make Me Put it All in a Song,” has a Jimmy Buffett feel to it.

“The Boy Laughs Too Much,” has a searing dobro and seems to have been written about a smirking juvenile who can’t take life seriously. It has the ironic message many disappointed adults foist upon the young:

One day he’ll learn that the world is not a funny place.
One day he’ll feel hot tears running down his face.
Then he’ll be just like us!
Then he’ll be just like us.

The more I listen to Patrick, the more I like him. This is a guy who has been playing music all his life and putting his heart in it. Check out his website at patrickcoopermusic.com. Buy a bunch of CDs and attend his concerts. He deserves it!