Product Description

Zydeco is a satisfying survey of the fascinating fusion of French and African culture in Louisiana and features most of the genre's biggest stars including Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Buckwheat Zydeco, Beau Jocque, Keith Frank, Geno Delafose, Chris Ardoin, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, Queen Ida, and Zydeco Force as well as regional favorites Rosie Ledet, The Creole Zydeco Farmers and Jude Taylor.

Track Listing

1. Creole Farmers Stomp - Creole Zydeco Farmers
2. Ço Fa - Keith Frank, The Soileau Zydeco Band
3. You're No Good for Me - Rosie Ledet
4. What You Gonna Do? - Beau Jocque
5. I'm in Love - Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas
6. Burnin' Flames Special - Jude Taylor
7. Lula Lula Don't You Go to Bingo - Boozoo Chavis
8. My Girl Josephine - Queen Ida
9. Calinda - Clifton Chenier
10. I'm on the Wonder - Buckwheat Zydeco
11. Bye Bye Mon Nèg' - Geno Delafose, French Rockin' Boogie
12. Hoochie Coochie - Joe KK, Zydeco Force
13. Stay in or Stay Out/Pass the Dutchie - Chris Ardoin, Double Clutchin'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11764 in Music
• Released on: 2000-01-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
From the get-go, Putumayo Presents Zydeco is the down-and-dirtiest most-rockin' Saturday night at a sweaty bayou dance hall or juke joint a non-native can experience. Born of the Creole community in Louisiana's backwaters and moving outward to Texas and California, Zydeco bumps, grinds, and is a wang dang doodle of a big time. Youngblood Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band rip through "Co Fa" with their trademark double-kick beat, the low-end-amped-up sound making heartbreak sound like a raunchy roll in the hay. Rosie Ledet's "You're No Good for Me" is a wailer for all lovers scorned, featuring thudding bass, wiry guitar lines, and sax in a one-upmanship dance with her accordion. Beau Jocque growls, Jude Taylor trades accordion licks with his band's organist, and Queen Ida reigns supreme on "My Girl Josephine." As the Creole Farmers sing on the opening cut, "We gonna party 'til the cows come home!" --Paige La Grone

From Rhythm Magazine
The feel and energy of a zydeco performance doesn't necessarily come across in the studio, and few of today's performers are particularly impressive songwriters. Fortunately, Putumayo has sought out some of the better recent zydeco recordings, and this compilation is as solid a selection as any. From well-known performers who have passed on, such as Clifton Chenier and Beau Jocque, to current stars such as Keith Frank and Boozoo Chavis, the music is remarkably consistent, with tracks by Rosie Ledet and Buckwheat Zydeco that are as good as zydeco gets.

Customer Reviews

Xenophiles Unite!
Putamayo is a good way to get your hands on xenophile music. This latest is a very good album to start one out on zydeco music, comme ca. Zydeco may be an acquired taste for someone who, unlike me, hasn't listened to blues, African music, or Cajun sounds, elements of all of which are in evidence on this CD. Still, if you're willing to take a stab and listen to something too few people ever hear anymore, you'll be very will rewarded.

Excellent!
Putumayo's recordings are sort of iffy for those who are really into the music that they compile.... some of them are phenomenal, some of them are disappointing. This one is fortunately one of the former. This CD plays like a who's who of Zydeco music, several tempos and song styles (waltz, two-step and blues, the main three rhythm patterns of zydeco music) are presented and all of the songs are truly classics.

If you're just getting into zydeco, this is the album for you! As I said, it's a who's who of zydeco music, so you can listen through and see which tracks you like, which will help you make informed decisions about which full-length single-band albums to buy. If you are a longstanding zydeco fan, you may well have most of these cuts on CDs you already own, so you could just make yourself a mix CD, but save yourself the trouble and pick this one up.

I can't for the life of me figure out how Putumayo managed to make such a spot-on zydeco collection but only a very mediocre Cajun music collection.

This is the one to buy...
If you only buy one zydeco collection, this is the one to buy. Putumayo is a label that specializes in world music. All their releases have beautiful artwork and include a booklet with notes about each song. This release is a great compilation of recent and current and most of it rocks. A sampling of the more popular musicians include...Beau Jocque...Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas...Boozoo Chavis...Queen Ida...Clifton Chenier...Buckwheat Zydeco...and Chris Ardoin does a cover of "Pass the Dutchie"