Americana Highways presents a song premiere from Austinite Ray Bonneville’s upcoming album At King Electric (Stonefly Records): “Papachulalay.”
Bonneville wrote all the songs on this project, and co-produced it with Justin Douglas (Celine Dion, Chuck Hawthorne). In addition to Ray Bonneville (guitars, vocals & harmonica), the album features Richie Lawrence on accordian and electric piano, and Andre Bohren on piano and drums, with appearances by Gurf Morlix on both guitar and bass, and Stefano Intelisano on Hammond B3.
In Papachulalay, Bonneville sets the stage for a scene of a cityscaped disagreement. The character, a woman-done-wrong, is saved from an agonized confrontation with her hurtful man by a street parade. The scene unfolds while the languid bluesy, organ and piano-rich New Orleans shuffle carries us afield and the woman joins the procession lines to dance her troubles away. The song is a wonderful musical and lyrical rendition of an understandable human experience.
Give it a listen: