Buy Now
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Jun 27, 2016Not all of those styles may be represented on this collection, but the love of the craft is contained within each note presented.
-
Jun 9, 2016He was an American original, and American Tunes functions as a lovely coda to a legendary career.
-
Jun 8, 2016Several tracks feature Mr. Toussaint alone at the piano, and they’re reminders of the regional traditions he elegantly upheld.
-
Q MagazineJun 6, 2016[A] wonderful album of covers showcasing his mastery of pianistic romance, witticism and flourish. [#361, p.116]
-
MojoJun 6, 2016Producer Joe Henry complements Toussaint with respectful production and respected guests including Charles Lloyd, Van Dyke Parks and the thrilling trilling of Rhiannon Giddens. [Jul 2016, p.94]
-
UncutJun 6, 2016Toussaint masterfully irons oout the kinks and the dissonances from the city's music. [Jul 2016, p.77]
-
Jun 6, 2016His final studio album proves an affecting swansong from the late New Orleans composer, producer, pianist and legend. Here Toussaint treats jazz classics by Fats Waller, Billy Strayhorn, Bill Evans and others to his intricate yet funky piano skills.
-
Jun 27, 2016A step left of center yet still striking familiar chords right on time, Allen Toussaint show us his understated brilliance one final time.
-
Jun 27, 2016With elegance and grace, Toussaint was a national treasure to the very end.
-
Jun 22, 2016On American Tunes, the funky-elegant balance is often tilted toward the latter, which may surprise, and even disappoint, some listeners.
-
Aug 12, 2016He lends his delicate, soulful voice to just one track--a delightful cover of Paul Simon’s American Tune--and the rest of the time is heard on piano. There are several unaccompanied solo pieces, including his own composition, Delores Boyfriend, which is rendered in an ornate style that encapsulates the New Orleans sound.
-
Aug 11, 2016Toussaint’s intimacy with classic R&B, soul and funk inflects all his jazz playing, even if American Tunes is for the most part a low-key (and perhaps faintly wistful) look back at a wonderful musical life.
-
Jun 9, 2016A country-gospel stab at Ellington’s “Come Sunday” badly misses the mark, and Toussaint’s innate funkiness is only lightly felt, sometimes sacrificed for too much tastefulness. There are still many American treasures here.