Kicking it in the Big Easy

“My Darlin’ New Orleans” is a great song by Leigh Harris (“Lil’ Queenie”) that catalogs some very specific reasons to love the city. And now, with Who Dat fever lasting longer and harder than any diehard ever imagined it would, the Saints supplanting the Cowboys as America’s (real) Team, New Orleans is feeling good about itself, feeling the love of a nation rooting for its team and its very existence and rejuvenated rebirth. Celebrations, post-Bowl sliding into Mardi Gras seamlessly with nary a glitch, a new youthful mayor with ties to a golden past, spring beckoning and Jazz Fest within sight – whew.

Let’s keep it going.

Here are three new releases to help with that.

GALACTIC is now an institution. Since 1994 these college buds have been carrying on the Crescent City funk first forged by the immortal Meters.

They started with a full-time vocalist, Theryl de Clouet, who was limited to just a few songs on the first three albums. They put out the mostly instrumental “Ruckus” and really started the electronic experimentation. Then came “From the Corner to the Block” and an army of rappers to bring their sound literally to the street.

They’re anchored by the indefatigable Stanton Moore on drums and are a single organic musical unit. Their latest, “YA-KA-MAY,” is nothing less than a state of the union of the New Orleans’ music scene and is their best so far.

Starting with everyone’s favorite psychotic scientist, Morgus the Magnificent, whose arch overbite-laden vocals are sampled from the vault (or laboratory) and layered on top of a suitably nasty popping groove, “Friends of Science” establishes the record’s NOLA bona fides, with a wink.

A street parade follows with “Boe Money,” on which the Rebirth Brass Band and Corey Henry blow and shout with gusto. Big Freedia, a transsexual rapper, follows with a hearty slice of New Orleans homegrown hip-hop, bounce. Irma Thomas then lays down the law with “Heart of Steel,” with hand drums giving way to snarling guitar fills and a punishing backbeat. Chief Bo Dollis is next with “Wild Man,” on which his sampled reminder about his beloved Wild Magnolias gets space-age accompaniment.

The always dapper Allen Toussaint sings the forward-looking “Bacchus” through a Leslie speaker, followed by the crushing “Katey vs Nobby,” on which ‘sissy’ rappers Katey Red and Sissy Nobby order at a Popeye’s and then proceed to shred each other in brutal fashion. Another standout is “Dark Water,” John Boutte’s star turn, where cellos saw against the beat in counterpoint to Jeff Raines’ dirty guitar lines. The audacity of Cheeky Blak’s “Do It Again” earns the record an “Explicit” sticker. And the video, available on YouTube (and presumably nowhere else) must be seen to be believed – cheeky it most definitely is.

A big old party record with brains, “Ya-Ka-May” is the New Orleans record of the moment, embracing the past but cruising toward tomorrow. Must-hear, must-have.

Here’s one for the jaded: The PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND invites 20 or so of its closest friends to drop in and record an album that will benefit the hall and its outreach program. The record is so titled, and prepare to be awed by its awesomeness. Here are but a few of the guests: Tom Waits, Del McCoury, Jason Isbell, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Jim James, Amy LaVere, Pete Seeger, Buddy Miller, Brandi Carlile, Paolo Nutini, Ani DiFranco, Richie Havens, Andrew Bird, Cory Chisel, Dr. John and Steve Earle. And Merle Haggard. And Louis Armstrong (in a not-creepy archival appearance).

Everyone covers themselves in glory. Waits and Haggard are especially righteous, maybe because their shredded voices mesh perfectly with the weathered wood of the hall that permeates the songs. James (lead singer of My Morning Jacket) gives the most incongruous performance, with his gramophone-filtered voice spinning a “Louisiana Fairy Tale,” McCoury has no trouble swinging his bluegrass high lonesome voice over “After You’ve Gone.”

As expected, the guests meet the band on their own turf, bending and sometimes folding their personalities to fit the arrangements. But don’t think this is just a well-intentioned effort that should be graded on the curve. Every artist sounds committed, while having a ball. The cats in the Band can still play, too.

Go ahead and spring for the deluxe version, with an extra disc and bonus features. If you want to check out how dead solid perfectly cool this project is, go to http://www.preservationabenefitalbum.com/ where you can listen to the whole album streaming and watch the teaser video.

JOHN ELLIS AND DOUBLE WIDE are back for their second CD, “PUPPET MISCHIEF.”

Ellis is a woodwinds player who’s got serious jazz chops but is now taking a more accessible path. Double Wide’s first effort was fun but a little too polite. Not so here.

The cover gives the game away here, with Ellis flanked by Sesame Street lookalikes. Not truly a kids’ album, the record has a sense of play that borders on kitsch at times.

But how can you go wrong with a lineup consisting of the leader’s sax and bass clarinet, sousaphone, organ, trombone and harmonica? Ellis really seems to be enjoying himself here, as he flaunts the NOLA influence on his New York native sensibility.

“Okra and Tomatoes” must be an Ellis favorite dish, for he imbues the tune with joy, and yes, tasty licks. “Fauxfessor” is not as Longhair as you would think, but it does groove.

Things get a little more serious (but not by much) with “Dewey Dah” and the title cut, where the melodies and rhythms take on some tartness.

The only bit of strangeness that grates is “Dubinland Carnival,” which is too bouncy and cloying by half.

Jazz with a sense of play, a sense of humor and major talent to burn – John Ellis and his pals have a good thing going.

As do we. For we truly are New Orleanians, as much as a lot of our residents here would like to pretend otherwise. And things are looking up.

So, embrace the city while you revel in its football team’s great fortune. It’s got so much to give for anybody who cares to look.