C.J. Chenier - Step It Up! '2001/2009

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Zydeghost
02. Its About Time
03. Everybody Needs A Little Monkey Business
04. The Right To Walk Away
05. Coochie Coo Wichou
06. Eat More Crawfish
07. Lets Agree To Disagree
08. Its Alright
09. Road Dog
10. The Power Of Love
11. Zydeco Mardi Gras
12. Turn Around And Say Goodbye
13. Johnny Cant Dance


This is the son of the man who popularized zydeco, taking the music of his
father and imbuing it with more of the funk and music he grew up with, pushing
and exploring one of the two main roots that his father fused to become zydeco.
One root is the music of the Cajuns and Creoles of Southwestern Louisiana, and
the other is the root that C.J. Chenier is exploring here, the rhythm &
blues/funk root. This makes sense coming from Chenier because that is the music
he grew up with and was the first music he played. Make no mistake, this is
still zydeco, but it owes much more to the roots music from the gulf coast of
Texas and the Port Arthur region, as opposed to the Louisiana side. The music
that was dominant in this area of the country was/is the blues and the driving
horn sections of the rhythm & blues bands. He used to play saxophone with
various bands and then joined his fathers band playing sax. You can see this
love of the horns is still with him as he arranged all the horns and directed
the rhythm section. He is now playing his fathers full-sized piano accordion,
and bringing that funky bluesy energy to the music. Most importantly he has got
one of those smoky voices that lends itself to the music. Plus he has a feel
that many only wish for whatever the tempo of the song. It may be an upbeat
dance number, or listen to the wonderful job he does on the slow The Right to
Walk Away. He displays a feel for this song that makes it a standout on this
disc. Many times the slower numbers are just throwaway songs; this one is full
of the passion that sells a song. Now he is writing more of his material and the
songs are getting stronger. The influence of his father is strong, yet here he
is continuing to make his own voice heard loud and strong.

All publication of the user fantastik - ISRABOX

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