Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife
As he approaches his 84th birthday, Swamp Dogg has run out of time for foolishness. The veteran singer/songwriter’s (aka Jerry Williams, Jr.) 27th album is appropriately titled Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife. Instead of making a last-ditch effort to pass through the Pearly Gates, though, Williams chooses to focus on the much more earthly (and more practical) goal of making his home stretch something worth celebrating.
The dubious merit of fixating on the afterlife pops up on the album’s very first track. “Searching for Heaven,” with churchy organ simmering underneath, has Swamp advocating for a heaven-on-Earth scenario, where the people that surround us – “Someone thinks you’re wonderful/Even when you’re insane” – are what we truly need, even when we choose not to see it.
One thing Swamp has apparently seen far too much of – bad relationships – is a topic scattered all over Afterlife. And from the wandering hearts found on the horn-filled “Hot to Trot” to the post-break-up kiss-off on “Unhappy Song” – “Was it me who got bored?/Or are you just nasty?” – the idea that life is just too damn short is never more evident. “A Million Tears Ago,” though, digs a little deeper. In this dive into old-school R&B, not only has his girl left, but the narrator, post-military service, finds himself abandoned on all fronts – “I came home to empty rooms/And a flag that didn’t wave for me.” Even in his limited time, Swamp continues to speak out on behalf of the men that war leaves behind.
With the awareness of life’s limits comes a time to mend fences. Because, when mortality’s on the table, what better time for make-goods? Swamp and fellow first-gen soul singer Gary U.S. Bonds were longtime friends until, after some squabble or another, they weren’t. Here on Afterlife, they’re reunited and trading verses on “Waka Waka Waka,” a goodbye with no time for niceties – “The BS is over, go get yourself a new turd/I’m cutting you loose, you are free as a bird” – with the pair sealing their lifelong friendship over a shared enemy: cheatin’ hearts. Like “Waka Waka Wake,” Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife overall is a fun, upbeat listen, but even Swamp has room for a little sentiment. The slowed-down (but never morose) album wrapper “Final Approach” finds the singer triumphant to the end – “As I get closer to the tarmac, I feel like singin’ I feel like dancin’/I’m happier than I’ve ever been I know everything is finally alright.” Like Swamp says at the top of the record, heaven is home, and he’s found it.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Please Don’t Bury Me” – Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife features two excellent covers, including the blues rave-up of Jenny Lewis’ “Acid Tongue,” but this piano-paced rocker of a take on the John Prine tune has Swamp pleading, in any number of ways, not to be buried, but rather parsed out in pieces – “Give my stomach to Milwaukee/If they run out of beer.” Never has organ donation sounded like so much fun.
Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife was produced by Steve Greenberg, Mike Mangini, Sam Hollander and Swamp Dogg, engineered by Mangini and Oliver Strauss, mixed by Mangini and mastered by Chris Gehringer. Original songs written by Jerry Williams, with co-writing credits going to Delayne Stegall, Sam Hollander, Donniele Graves, Steve Greenberg, Michael Mangini and Alison Stegall. Musicians on the album include Swamp Dogg (vocals, piano), Sherod Barnes (guitar), Jerry Barnes (bass), Steve Wolf (drums), Moogstar (keyboards), Raymond Angry (organ, piano), Jesse Klirsfeld (trumpet), Morgan Price (saxophones) and Gary U.S. Bonds (vocals).
Go here to pre-save Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife (out June 19):
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Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: INTERVIEW: Swamp Dogg Talks About His Career, John Prine, and His Latest Album