Connected (Allen Toussaint album)

1996 studio album by Allen Toussaint

Connected

Studio album by

Allen Toussaint

Released| 1996
Studio| Sea-Saint Studios
Genre| Jazz, funk
Label| NYNO
Producer| Allen Toussaint, Clarence "Reginald" Toussaint
Allen Toussaint chronology
| Mr. New Orleans
(1994)  | Connected
(1996)  | A New Orleans Christmas
(1997)

|
|

Connected is an album by the American musician Allen Toussaint, released in 1996.[1][2] It was released through NYNO Records, a label cofounded by Toussaint, and was his first new album in almost 20 years.[3][4] Toussaint supported the album with a North American tour.[5]

## Production

[edit]

Produced by Toussaint, the album was recorded at his Sea-Saint Studios, with his son, Reginald, contributing as Connected's engineer.[6][7] The album is a collection of original songs written by Toussaint.[8] Toussaint had been working on the album for many years; he was prodded by Reginald to finish it.[9]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [10]
Robert Christgau| [11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [12]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide| [13]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette| [8]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the album "a sometimes rollicking, sometimes touching, always first-rate collection of love songs."[8] Newsday wrote that Connected "mixes laid-back New Orleans rhythms with a sweet, smooth pop sound ... In addition to several ballads and some jazz-funk tunes, there is one distinctly '90s touch: 'Computer Lady', a sly ode to online romance."[14] Robert Christgau singled out "Computer Lady" for praise.[11]

The Washington Post panned Toussaint's "dull voice that has a cramped range," but thought that "there are a few gems among the new tunes, most notably the ballads 'If I Leave' and 'Sweet Dreams'."[15] The Dallas Morning News opined that "the album's best tracks—'Do the Do', 'Funky Bars', 'All of It'—rekindle the jazzy New Orleans funk he helped invent in the mid-'60s with Art Neville and other future members of the Meters."[16] The Boston Herald listed Connected as one of the 10 best albums of 1996, deeming it "timeless piano funk."[17]

AllMusic called the album "fresh new funk and roll from the city where American music has always stretched to new levels."[10]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Length

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|

1.| "Pure Uncut Love"|
2.| "Do the Do"|
3.| "Computer Lady"|
4.| "Get Out of My Life, Woman"|
5.| "We're All Connected"|
6.| "Sweet Dreams"|
7.| "Funky Bars"|
8.| "Ahya"|
9.| "If I Leave"|
10.| "Aign Nyee"|
11.| "In Your Love"|
12.| "Oh My"|
13.| "All of It"|
14.| "Wrong Number"|
15.| "Rolling with the Punches"|

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Allen Toussaint Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
2. ^ Buckley, Peter (October 16, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides.
3. ^ "Allen Toussaint". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021.
4. ^ Strauss, Neil (May 9, 1996). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C17.
5. ^ Dollar, Steve (June 13, 1997). "Allen Toussaint". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P4.
6. ^ Shuster, Fred (July 12, 1996). "Sounds Like New Orleans: These Days, Allen Toussaint More 'Connected' Than Ever". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L18.
7. ^ Verna, Paul (June 29, 1996). "Connected". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 26\. p. 79.
8. ^ a b c "Recording Review". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 8, 1996. p. G8.
9. ^ Gundersen, Edna (May 1, 1996). "At Jazzfest, age affords respect". USA Today. p. 7D.
10. ^ a b "Connected". AllMusic.
11. ^ a b "Allen Toussaint". Robert Christgau.
12. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8\. MUZE. p. 227.
13. ^ MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 570.
14. ^ Lipp, Marty (July 26, 1996). "Spreading Around That Bayou Beat". Newsday. p. B23.
15. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (August 7, 1996). "Bounty of Blue Notes; Toussaint Puts the Big Easy in the Spotlight". The Washington Post. p. C7.
16. ^ Christensen, Thor (May 23, 1996). "The patience of Toussaint – Modest artist is New Orleans' best-kept secret". The Dallas Morning News. p. 5C.
17. ^ Katz, Larry (December 20, 1996). "Larry Katz's top 10". Scene. Boston Herald.

* v
* t
* e

Allen Toussaint

Studio albums|

* Toussaint (1971)
* Life, Love and Faith (1972)
* Southern Nights (1975)
* Connected (1996)
* The River in Reverse [with Elvis Costello (2006)
* The Bright Mississippi (2009)
* American Tunes (2016)

Video releases|

* Putting the River in Reverse (2006)

Songs|

* "A Certain Girl"
* "Fortune Teller"
* "Get Out of My Life, Woman"
* "Here Come the Girls"
* "Holy Cow"
* "I Like It Like That"
* "Java"
* "Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette)"
* "Mother-in-Law"
* "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)"
* "Release (The Tension)"
* "Southern Nights"
* "Working in the Coal Mine"
* "Yes We Can Can"

Related articles|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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