J Dulva and Counting Coup is the project of J Dulva, a guitarist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from Eunice, Louisiana, who first picked up the guitar in 1972. After decades of playing he stepped away from music for nearly eighteen years to raise a family, before returning to it in March 2017 with a renewed sense of purpose. Since then he has been prolific and unapologetically independent, releasing a string of albums recorded at Poolside Studios in southwest Louisiana, the home base where the real magic happens. Eunice sits at the heart of Cajun country, a small prairie city with deep musical roots, and that environment has shaped everything about how Dulva makes music. His catalog has ranged from acoustic collaborations to live-to-tape recordings, always prioritizing spontaneity and authenticity over studio polish.

Counting Coup is his working band, and together they have built a sound rooted firmly in American rock, blues, and Americana, drawing comparisons to Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and Dire Straits without sounding like a tribute act to any of them. Counting of the Coup was recorded live at Poolside Studios, capturing the raw energy and spontaneous magic that define their performances. In an era increasingly dominated by digital production and artificial intelligence, this is music made by real people playing real instruments in a real room, and it sounds like it.

Track-by-Track

1. RICO GILLETTE

The album opens with an infectious rhythm that has a renegade quality right out of the gate before the mood shifts into something more spacious and desert-like, evoking images of an open road stretching out toward nowhere in particular. The track tells the story of a fictional small-time criminal living in the murky edges of society, and the band wraps that narrative in a groove that makes you feel the heat coming off the pavement. It is a strong, assured opening that sets the tone for everything to follow.

2. DEAD MINGO

The ZZ Top influence is front and center here, the riff arriving with that same Texas swagger translated through south Louisiana grit. The track resonates with the spirit of Easy Rider, a road-worn, blues-soaked piece of Americana that feels like it was pulled from a jukebox in 1974 and none the worse for it. If you grew up loving classic rock with real bones in it, this one is going to hit exactly right.

3. FUNNY LOOKING FLOWERS

The mood shifts entirely and the band shows a different side of themselves altogether. This is a beautiful ballad, built around lyrical depth and melodic warmth that strips away the swagger of the first two tracks to reveal something more tender underneath. The storytelling is the star here, and Dulva handles it with care. It demonstrates the range of the record early and makes clear that Counting of the Coup is not going to stay in one lane for long.

4. A GOOD DAY

Exactly what the title promises. A track with a warmth and easy groove that feels genuinely celebratory without being forced. The production captures the band at their most relaxed and joyful, which is its own kind of magic. Friendship and pleasure are embedded in every bar of this one, and it sits perfectly in the middle of the album’s opening stretch as a reminder of why making music with people you trust is one of the better things a person can do with their time.

5. WAITING ON THAT CALL

One of the album’s most emotionally resonant tracks. The title carries that familiar ache of anticipation and uncertainty, and the arrangement supports it perfectly, patient and unhurried in a way that mirrors the feeling of waiting for something that may or may not come. Dulva’s guitar work here is particularly expressive, doing a lot of the emotional heavy lifting without ever overplaying. A standout moment in the album’s midsection.

6. 19TH. DEGREE BLUES

The blues roots that run beneath the surface of the entire album come fully forward here. This is a track that earns its title without any self-consciousness, rooted in the Louisiana tradition of music that processes difficulty through rhythm and repetition rather than resolution. The band plays it with the kind of conviction that only comes from people who actually understand the genre they are working in rather than simply borrowing from it.

7. THE VALLEY BELOW

One of the more intriguing and psychedelic moments on the record. The progression takes on a haunting quality that suits the subject matter, a piece built around the legendary figure of Joaquin, a notorious Mexican outlaw from early southwestern North America. The storytelling here is vivid and atmospheric, and the production leans into the mood rather than fighting it. It is a different kind of track from everything around it and one of the album’s most memorable.

8. KEEP THE FLAME ALIVE

The shortest track on the record at two minutes and thirty-eight seconds, and one that uses every second. This is a concentrated burst of energy that carries a clear sense of urgency and purpose. The title doubles as a mission statement for the kind of music Dulva and Counting Coup are making, music rooted in tradition and played with real intent. It is a rallying cry tucked into a tight little package and it lands with more impact than its runtime suggests.

9. BOUDIN BLUES

You cannot be from Eunice, Louisiana without boudin being part of your life, and this track wears its local identity with real pride. The song captures the spirit of the region as much as the genre it inhabits, grounded in the specific landscape and culture that produced it. It is one of the most fun tracks on the album and also one of the most authentic, the kind of song that could only have come from exactly where it came from.

10. THIS MORNING

The album closes with its longest track at six minutes and forty seconds, and it earns every moment. This Morning takes its time in the best possible way, building slowly and deliberately into something that feels like the natural conclusion of everything the record has been exploring. The extended runtime gives the band room to stretch out, and they make full use of it without ever losing focus. It is a patient, unhurried farewell from an album that has never been in a rush to be anything other than exactly what it is. A deeply satisfying close.

Final Thoughts

Counting of the Coup is the kind of album that reminds you what rock and blues music sounds like when it comes from people who genuinely love it rather than people who are trying to sell you something. J Dulva has been playing guitar since 1972 and every year of that experience is somewhere in this record, not in a way that feels nostalgic or backward-looking, but in a way that feels earned and alive. This is music built on friendship, joy, and a deep connection to place. For fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Dire Straits, and Americana that respects its roots while carving its own path, Counting of the Coup belongs in your regular rotation.

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