There's a peculiarity to New Orleans' status as America's richest music scene. The list of musicians who've been big locally but unknown in the larger world is crazy long; only a few—most recently Jon Batiste—have achieved wider acclaim. One of the hurdles these musicians face is in how to replicate on record the energy of live performances. Conversely, in studio recordings, New Orleans artists must project what the songs might sound like when stretched out and played live. Troy Andrews, better known as Trombone Shorty, has made it his life's work to master these tricky transitions. Andrews, who performed at the city’s Jazz and Heritage Festival at the age of four and is now a headliner, is a genuine star—a melding of skilled brass player, charismatic frontman, accomplished dancer and improving singer. Since his excellent 2013 Raphael Saadiq-produced Say That to Say This album, Andrews has been steadily moving in the direction of a roaring, professional, groove-heavy funk/R&B that's flecked with flashes of hip-hop, jazz, rock and especially the music of his hometown heroes, The Meters. Andrews' hometown cred begins with the charming cover photo of Lifted where his mother, Lois Nelson-Andrews (a local icon who passed away in November, 2021), holds him as a child as he toots on a toy saxophone during a Second Line. His devotion to a large presence that can be reproduced live while simultaneously revving up a convincing, listenable studio groove begins with the opener, "Come Back." Lifted was recorded at Andrews' Buckjump Studio with producer Chris Seefried (Fitz and the Tantrums, Andra Day), and as is the fashion in pop music today, is in-your-face loud and overly punchy. Within his emerging style, "Lie to Me" features Andrews' soloing on his unusual and always welcome instrument of choice, the trombone. The rock-infused "I'm Standing Here" showcases the Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired guitar of guest Gary Clark, Jr. The '70s horn-driven funky soul of Earth, Wind & Fire is the basis for "Might Not Make It Home." The beautiful ballad "Forgiveness" is an example of Andrews' improvement as a lyricis: "Forgiveness is easy/Forgetting takes a long, long time," he acknowledges. The same is true for the swinging "Miss Beautiful" which starts with "I'm the bad guy all the time/ Every problem always mine" and features a call-and-response chorus of "lighten it up." The title track is a rock-oriented number led by a riff from guitarist Pete Murano, who along with baritone saxophonist Dan Oestreicher, are holdovers from Andrews' original band, Orleans Avenue. Clearly designed to become an instant part of Andrews' live extravaganzas, the originals on Lifted are tuneful and well-played, if sonically overcompressed in spots. And while Andrews is verging on becoming too smooth and too streamlined in spots, he's still successfully balancing playing to the mainstream while retaining enough of what makes him identifiably New Orleanian. © Robert Baird/Qobuz