Leo Nocentelli - Another Side
Favorite Songs: Thinking of the Day, Give Me Back My Loving, You’ve Become a Habit
Leo Nocentelli is best known as the lead guitarist of the timelessly influential New Orleans funk band, The Meters. As a member of The Meters he wrote many classics such as “Cissy Strut” and “Hey Pocky A-Way” and he became known for the driving, rhythmic lead guitar style that carried that funky melody throughout every one of the band’s iconic funk records. The release of Nocentelli’s solo album, Another Side, is remarkable not only for its content, but also for the winding journey that it took before finally being released. The album was recorded in New Orleans in the early 70s with a killer line-up including Allen Toussaint on piano, and fellow Meters George Porter Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste. The tapes sat stagnant for decades, and were believed to have been destroyed by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. They were eventually miraculously discovered at a 2018 swap meet in Southern California, in late 2021 the world was blessed with this long lost slice of music history.
The music is a far cry from the hard hitting funk riffs on the Meters’ early albums, landing in a sort of bluesy-folky world of its own. Tight rhythms partnered with loose finger-picked acoustic guitar parts lay the groundwork for this solo masterpiece. The opening track “Thinking of the Day” is a melodically joyful, yet lyrically tragic two-minute song of yearning for an impossible love. The light tap of the hi-hats and the sparse bass line anchor this beautiful piece, leaving plenty of space for Nocentelli’s double-tracked vocals to shine.
“Riverfront” is a laid-back blues powerhouse reminiscent of fellow New Orleans native Dr. John. “Come back in a few more days,” for your pay, says the so-called boss man, living proof that “working on the riverfront ain’t easy.” This track is a groovy reimagining of the classic hard-working blues man, set against a bayou backdrop. The third track “I Want to Cry” builds upon the theme of love lost, accepting that despite the singer’s best efforts, it was never meant to be.
“Pretty Mittie” stands as a hard working man’s promise to his woman that he’s gonna get himself a job in the city. “Mittie, go and get pretty” he sings, for the time is now to turn their fortunes around for good. Sparse instrumentation and simple production leave this track with a particularly conversational tone; you can almost hear Mittie rolling her eyes. “Give Me Back My Loving” is a plea to put the past behind, and start over with a clean slate.
“Getting Nowhere” is an anthem for anybody who has ever felt like they’re stuck in the mud, watching everyone around them achieve their goals. The shuffling backbeat and bells of “Till I Get There” almost stand in direct defiance of the prior song. The song sends a simple message, that is to just keep on pushing and letting nothing stand in your way.
“You’ve Become a Habit” is a beautiful love ballad about a sex worker named Fancy, and a young man who grapples with his own emotions. “She didn’t act like a lady should” yet he can’t stop his adoration from growing stronger with each encounter. “Tell Me Why” asks some of the larger, seemingly unanswerable questions that anchor the singer’s belief that “there must be a man in the sky.” The album’s penultimate track stands as a proudly adamant declaration of faith to cap off a tracklist of tangible uncertainties.
Nocentelli closes the LP with a stripped down yet immense cover of Elton John’s 1971 hit “Your Song.” Music history has proven time and time again that sometime’s another’s words can speak better than one’s own, and this track is no exception. Nocentelli’s guitar work and long-hidden abilities as a vocalist are on full display, capping off a magnificent relic of the 70s in the grooviest of ways.
