Louisiana Cajun Music

This is music from the Saturday night dances in Louisiana; the hot and sweaty have a good time dancing, drinking, and looking at all the people. Do not look for the Royal Albert Hall production on this CD, as on his stunning South of I-10 with its myriad "guest artists." The feel for this music is shown by someone who grew up with it. Listen to the respect and feeling he gives to Clifton Chenier's "If I Ever Get Lucky." Try to keep your body and feet from bouncing to the beat of "Sugar Cane" or "Little Linda." Doesn't your eye start to look around for a dance partner, even though you're in your living room? There is solid playing throughout this CD even though the sound is a bit thin at times and the big-name guests are nowhere to be found. It is a solid effort that spans the musical boundaries of all of Louisiana. Cajun, zydeco, blues, and country are all blended together so they are no longer confining, but a homogenous mix. A solid effort.

The origins of zydeco are traceable to one man: Clifton Chenier, who started blending Cajun music with blues and R&B back in the '50s. He recorded for the Arhoolie label over a nearly 30-year span, and The Best of Clifton Chenier is (yet another) collection of his music culled from his Arhoolie sides.
People familiar with the sound of contemporary zydeco may be surprised at how prevalent the blues influences are on some of these tunes. Tracks like "Brown Skin Woman," "It's Hard," and "Why Did You Go Last Night" are quite bluesy, while "Ay, Ai, Ai" sounds like what is called zydeco today (and it's the oldest cut on the set)…

The origins of zydeco are traceable to one man: Clifton Chenier, who started blending Cajun music with blues and R&B back in the '50s. He recorded for the Arhoolie label over a nearly 30-year span, and The Best of Clifton Chenier is (yet another) collection of his music culled from his Arhoolie sides.
People familiar with the sound of contemporary zydeco may be surprised at how prevalent the blues influences are on some of these tunes. Tracks like "Brown Skin Woman," "It's Hard," and "Why Did You Go Last Night" are quite bluesy, while "Ay, Ai, Ai" sounds like what is called zydeco today (and it's the oldest cut on the set)…

These are Landreth's earliest known recordings, half of them made in a single afternoon 1973 when he was just 22 years old, the other half recorded in 1977. They display Landreth in the wine of his youth, looking outward for inspiration, sounding more generally Southern than uniquely Louisianan. If you are seeking an album of Louisiana music, I suggest you look elsewhere. But if it is the long-lost first album of an acknowledged slide guitar king you seek, perhaps the finest of his generation, look no further. It is in your hands.