New Orleans is getting some long-overdue love. In a forthcoming documentary from Petaluma Records and Martin Shore entitled Take Me To The River: New Orleans—a followup to Shore’s award-winning 2014 film, Take Me To The River—this film will celebrate the rich history, storied legacy, and deep-rooted culture and influence of New Orleans.
Premiering exclusively with VIBE, we present a new, reimagined single from PJ Morton, accompanied by Cheeky Blakk and the Rebirth Brass Band II, called “New Orleans Girl.” Morton first debuted this song on his 2016 project, Bounce & Soul, Vol. 1. Contrary to the song’s indirect predecessor, LL Cool J’s “Around The Way Girl,” which honors Black women in the hood who are unapologetically authentic, street-savvy trendsetters, PJ’s “New Orleans Girl” gushes about how no woman can compare to a New Orleans girl—thanks to her sweet talkin’ and savory cookin’.
“PJ Morton is absolutely a maestro!,” gushed Shore in a statement. “His ability to seamlessly fuse genres together is simply amazing. Rebirth Brass Band always brings a party and a smile to their music. And there is nobody more legit in New Orleans bounce than Cheeky Blakk. It’s really one of the theme songs for the film and record. New Orleans is the girl! And it needs to continue all around the world.”
The Take Me To The River: New Orleans soundtrack is a melting pot of sounds merging classic New Orleans-bred artists with dynamic ones from other regions including G-Eazy, Jon Batiste, Mystikal, Dr. John, Snoop Dogg, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ledisi, and more. The first single from the compilation is “Act Like You Know” featuring Dee-1, Mannie Fresh, Big Freedia, and Galactic.
The soundtrack will be released digitally and physically via CD and a deluxe vinyl set featuring two LPs and a large format 60-page book on April 29. The film has floating screeners across the country, so check the official website for listings.
Watch the trailer for the film below.