Sarah Quintana
Baby Don’t
New Orleans is in Sarah Quintana’s DNA. A lifelong resident of the Crescent City, she grew up playing the music of the city without much regard to labels. She has played with Cajun elders, folk balladeers, French rockers, and roots swamp rockers. When it came time to record Baby Don’t, Sarah set out to make Louisiana music in her own way.
One of the things that makes Baby Don’t unique is the players who back her up. The low end is held down by sousaphone player Jason Jurzak and cellist Chris Beroes-Haigis. The instrumentation gives every song a whiff of brass band street cred. When I say this reminds me of buskers paying on Frenchman Street, that’s not a slight.
“Baby Don’t” kicks off the album with a rocking ode to New Orleans powerhouse radio station WWOZ and Acadiana’s public radio stalwart, KRVS, two institutions acting as guardians of the groove in Louisiana. She pleads, “Baby don’t change my radio.” The band pays homage to trad jazz on “Be My Love” with sax swinging against the tuba foundation. Sarah sings in French on the roots rockers “Laisse le Bon Temps Rouler” and “Tout Mon Coeur.” “Bump in the Road” is a lullaby to New Orleans resilience in the face of setbacks like Hurricane Katrina. The gently rocking tune reassures that the city that care forgot will continue no matter what men or nature throw at it.
