Review: Victor Wainwright starts a party on 'Memphis Loud'

Victor Wainwright and the Train, 'œMemphis Loud'ť (Ruf)

Here's an hour-long set to help fill the void created by all of those canceled summer music festivals.

'œMemphis Loud'ť was tracked live in the studio by Victor Wainwright and the Train, creating a vibe suitable for a crowd enjoying a sunny, lazy weekend afternoon, when time seems to slow down.

The Memphis-based Wainwright and his six-piece band are right for the job because they serve up something for everyone with their rootsy, funky, well-cooked jam-band mix of R&B, jazz and Americana. Influences run deep, and piano man Wainwright even honors Little Richard with his shouts of 'œWoo!'ť

'œEverybody start a party,'ť Wainwright sings on the opener 'œMississippi,'ť and that sums up the mood. But there's plenty of variety to the arrangements. 'œWalk the Walk'ť is fueled by joyful syncopation, the witty 'œSouth End of a North Bound Mule'ť could be a country hit, and foggy Duke Ellington-style horns on the ballad 'œSing'ť suggest a product of the theater.

Wainwright and the Train lose steam at the end with a dog song and a too-long gospel-style finale. But the rest of 'œMemphis Loud'ť deserves an audience, even if it can't be at a festival.