Album Review

Hurray For The Riff Raff – Look Out Mama

• 16th Aug 2012

Hurray For The Riff Raff is the creative vehicle for Alynda Lee Segarra, a New York native with Puerto Rican roots, who is now a resident of New Orleans. On this album she is backed by The Tumbleweeds, a young local band, and the Southern favour is completed with production from Nashville’s Andrija Tokic, who also produced Alabama Shakes’ recent debut album.

Look Out Mama has perhaps more of a country flavour than previous offerings from the band, but its mix of Americana, blues and mountain music gives it an eclectic feel. It’s an album that conjures up images of dusty highways in the deep south, and travelling through small towns picking up great stories along the way. It’s loose and world weary, and features some quite exquisite vocals from Segarra. Her plaintive laments and beautiful vulnerability is given space to shine in the sparse production, and shine she undoubtedly does.

Little Black Star opens the album with an acoustic folk meets gospel track that builds from a simple acoustic guitar backing for the vocals. There’s a joyful tone and an upbeat tempo that gets your foot tapping straight away. The title track is next and is one of the stand outs of the album. Segarra’s vocals perfectly complement the fiddle that sits on top of acoustic guitars in a beautiful bluesy country song. There is a gentle piano that plays in the background and an excellent yodel in the middle. Well why not?

The name Ramblin’ Gal suggests an old style blues song and this one delvers perfectly. It’s a homage to the south and a stark acoustic guitar is all that is required to back the emotional vocals. This is followed by the slow country blues of What’s Wrong With Me, a heartbreaking song of love lost. Ode To John And Yoko sits at the centre of the album. This fine song rises and falls in fine style as the vocals go from almost childish simplicity to powerful delivery, and then there is a Beatles style vocal harmony ending that takes the song to a close.

Lake Of Fire is a more upbeat track with more than a hint of rockabilly, and the vocal range of Ms Segarra is shown nicely. Riley is slower with an atmospheric, almost psychedelic, guitar sound, another song of lost love beautifully delivered. Go Out On The Road has the purest country sound of all the album’s tracks and again the vocal clarity stands out over some great steel guitar. Born To Win (part 1) starts with a haunting harmonica and the chanted chorus is unexpected.

The closing Something’s Wrong takes us back to the earlier slow pace and minimal instrumentation as simple acoustic guitar picking backs the vocals, this time with a water sound filling the background. The lyrics are full of religious imagery and the vocals are emotional and reflective as the album ends as it started: with Segarra beguiling the listener through her wonderful voice.

Look Out Mama is an excellent album that showcases the vocal talents of Alynda Lee Segarra perfectly, but it also allows her undoubted songwriting talents to come to the fore. The instrumentation is largely subtle and provides good backing without becoming obtrusive. If you like your music tender and expressive then you will love this album.