The Deslondes made it an uneven 13 tracks on Roll It Out (New West) with J.J. Cale’s “Drifters Wife,” even stealing a line from its chorus for the album title. For the other 12 songs, the contributions come from every member of this easygoing, multifaceted New Orleans roots quintet: vocalist/guitarist Sam Doores, vocalist/guitarist Riley Downing, vocalist/bassist Dan Cutler, fiddler/pedal-steel guitarist John James Tourville and new drummer Howe Pearson. Fittingly, all five weigh in here.
1. “Hold On Liza”
Downing: “I wrote this some years ago when I was living in New Orleans and reminiscing about where I started and how I came to be where I was, sorting through my thoughts and reminding myself—and anyone within earshot—to stay strong.”
2. “Take Me Back”
Doores: “The song deals with nostalgia and loss in a world that often appears to be falling apart at the seams. It’s also about those few breakthrough moments of exaltation and relief: love, art, a walk through the woods, comfort food. Wherever it finds you, it’s no small thing and can make it all worthwhile.”
3. “Lies I’ve Told”
Cutler: “A few years back, Hurricane Zeta came through New Orleans. The power was out, so I walked around for a bit. The streets were empty, and there was debris everywhere. It was very still and beautiful, but also eerie and apocalyptic. I went home afterward and wrote this love song.”
4. “I’ll Do It”
Pearson: “I wanted to offer dog-like support to a friend—just some simple love and affirmation, like a more wholesome take on “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”
5. “Grand Junction”
Tourville: “My last song about riding trains and traveling that way. It encompasses just a small fraction of the places and happenings from those times.”
6. “Find The Ground”
Cutler: “This song was born in flight. In every life, there will be tears and fears—but gravity tempers everything in time.”
7. “Pour Another Round”
Doores: “I wrote this after a friend heard I’d passed away during a summer of traveling. When we reunited, we talked about how when you lose someone—or at least think you do—it makes you truly appreciate the people you know and love.”
8. “Old Plank Road”
Cutler: “An ode to a shitty old bar in Davenport, Iowa—or maybe it was in Madison, Wisc. It also could’ve been in New Orleans.”
9. “Who Really Loses”
Downing: “Written during a time when, if I’d made a list of everything I didn’t want to happen, it happened. I eventually had to throw my hands in the air and laugh about it, asking the age-old question, ‘Who really loses, and who really wins at the end of all this?’”
10. “Go Out Tonight”
Pearson: “Written just before the pandemic lockdown. Be careful what you wish for.”
11. “Mercury On Parade”
Doores: “A song inspired by hearing a lover’s laughter in the distance and just wanting to appreciate her happiness and stay out of the way.”
12. “Line To Go”
Tourville: “I wrote this while I had three broken fingers on both hands and was waiting on empty promises from a major publishing company. These two events were driving me crazy, taking me out of the present moment as I was waiting on life to happen.”
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