Don Cavalli, “Cryland” (2008, Everloving, A)

Frenchman Don Cavalli’s earlier work was little more than a decent genre exercise: retro rockabilly performed with enough authenticity to trick people into believing he was not only recording in the 1950s but that he was born in a bog somewhere in the southern United States. Good, but nothing a million other artists obsessed with American roots music around the world weren’t already doing. Cryland, however, is something else entirely. It remains hogtied to the blues, but spackled with minimalist funk, garage rock, Cajun and even dub influences, with the constant churn of a wah-wah pedal bubbling underneath. Cavalli performed to a small but highly appreciative crowd of mostly uninitiated folks at the Mercury Lounge in Goleta this past weekend. He hasn’t quite gotten the hype in this country yet — the album has been out in France for a year; it was just released stateside last week — but with a few more tours he should reach at least a level of cult status. I mean, how can you deny the awesomeness this video:

“I’m Going to a River”