"Survivors Of The Hurricane" is a groove that sounds like a tamer descendant of the free funk Ulmer was playing in his post-Prime Time days. Tame, that is, until Reid cuts loose with an unhinged solo that harkens back to his own Living Colour days.

"Katrina" is a elegy of sorts, which like "Survivors" is Ulmer's blunt account of the catastrophe. The simple blues verses rise up to climatic choruses while Blood's disgust over the handling of the event culminates in a "talk to the president!" rallying cry.

"Let's Talk About Jesus" is about Ulmer going back to his gospel roots to find redemption though the Son of Man (and a well played, B-3 organ). Irene Datcher supplies reaffirming supporting vocals in one of the more lively, upbeat tracks of the record. Meanwhile, the feisty, post-modern blues "Old Slave Master" mocks the belated help provided by the government.

Ulmer's five fine new compositions are supplemented perfectly by six well-chosen covers. These borrowed songs are all distinct, all fit Blood's style well and nearly all fall neatly within the whole Katrina theme.

"Sad Days, Lonely Nights" has all the mesmerizing swagger you'd expect out of a Junior Kimbrough tune, except that Ulmer adds even more. His voice shot all to hell from the hurried, late-night recording sessions only serves to bolster his sincerity in "keepin' it real."

John Lee Hooker's "This Land Is Nobody's Land" is a natural for Ulmer, as Ulmer's blues is plainly indebted to Hooker. In this rendition, Ulmer and his band give it a spooky, voodoo flavor. "Dead Presidents" is the lighthearted break in the somber proceedings and Ulmer and his crew band give Little Walter a run for his...err...dead presidents.

Howlin' Wolf is represented here, too, with his "Commit A Crime," replete with Ulmer and Reid's twin guitar assault. Next up to be represented is Son House, with "Grinnin' In Your Face." Charlie Burnham gives the tune a back porch quality with his fiddle and mandolin.

Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues" goes all the way back to the 1920's and with it being about the risks and adversity poor black people face living in flood prone areas, it was just as relevant today as it was then. The song is rendered as a gentle, jazzy blues.

I always felt that the best blues draw heavily on tradition while speaking at a gut level to the concerns and conditions of the here and now. Ulmer stepped up to the plate and delivered just that with Bad Blood In The City; The Piety Street Sessions. Blood may not be from New Orleans, but he proved here to be a true New Orleanian at heart.