From the title of this CD, the listener can guess where zydeco artist C.J. Chenier is going with this one. Recorded in 1995, Too Much Fun features a big sound filled with multiple electric guitars, saxophones, trumpet, and percussion instruments, along with the more traditional accordion and rub boards that distinguish the genre of zydeco. C.J. Chenier contributes to the party spirit by playing the accordion, alto saxophone, and providing vocals on the CD. The rest of the Red Hot Louisiana Band gears up for an album of party music meant for dancing. It would be unthinkable in the zydeco tradition to have too much fun without dancing being on the agenda, so dance tunes rule the record. Especially hot dance tunes include "Zydeco Cha Cha," "Louisiana Two Step," "Squeaky Wheel," and "Give Me Some of That," along with the title cut. There is a humorous and admiring nod to the ladies in "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)," as well as some gritty blues on "Louisiana Down Home Blues" and "Lost in the Shuffle." The CD goes out with one last lively dance number, "Louisiana Two-Step," so that no one can ever say that C.J. Chenier kept the dancers from having too much fun.

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.

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.

Buckwheat Zydeco can be counted on for a joyous, upbeat zydeco party groove and his albums are remarkably consistent in that regard. This set draws tracks from his mid-'80s albums for Rounder Records, including sides from 1983's Turning Point, 1985's Waitin' for My Ya Ya, and 1987's Buckwheat's Zydeco Party, and makes a nice sampler and introduction to what was arguably Buckwheat Zydeco's most commercially viable and inspired period. The title track, "Let the Good Times Roll," "Hot Tamale Baby," and a nice version of Fats Domino's "Walkin' to New Orleans" are among the highlights.

The traditional 2-steps and blues-inspired rhythms of zydeco are transformed into the modern dance-inspiring music of Roy "Chubby" Carrier and his group, the Bayou Swamp Band. While The Chicago Tribune referred to Carrier as "one of the finer standard bearers of the classic zydeco sound among the new generation of Louisiana bands," The Worcester Telegram and Gazette praised Carrier for his "unbridled enthusiasm and the ability to make a party happen whether he's playing for five people or five hundred," and The Atlanta Daily News wrote that Carrier "knows how to let the good times roll with the power and precision of a seasoned musician."
Carrier's breakthrough came with his third album, "Dance All Night". Released in 1993, the album received a Living Blues critics award as "Best Zydeco Album of the Year".

The traditional 2-steps and blues-inspired rhythms of zydeco are transformed into the modern dance-inspiring music of Roy "Chubby" Carrier and his group, the Bayou Swamp Band. While The Chicago Tribune referred to Carrier as "one of the finer standard bearers of the classic zydeco sound among the new generation of Louisiana bands," The Worcester Telegram and Gazette praised Carrier for his "unbridled enthusiasm and the ability to make a party happen whether he's playing for five people or five hundred," and The Atlanta Daily News wrote that Carrier "knows how to let the good times roll with the power and precision of a seasoned musician."
Carrier's breakthrough came with his third album, "Dance All Night". Released in 1993, the album received a Living Blues critics award as "Best Zydeco Album of the Year".

Thanks to the Arhoolie label, fans of zydeco legend Clifton Chenier have another chance to hear Clifton Sings the Blues. Recorded in Houston on April 1, 1969 (tracks 1-12), Chenier's accordion and vocal prowess were more relaxed on these tracks than most zydeco fans would expect. The set features sturdy assistance from Cleveland Chenier, Clifton's brother, on rub-board, drummer Robert Peter, bassist Joe Morris, and guitarist Cleveland Keyes, and Chenier's love of laid-back Texas blues is evident on tracks like "Ain't No Need of Cryin' (Every Day Is the Same)," "Brown Skinned Woman," and "Trouble in Mind." While the pace of these tunes flows between slow to midtempo shuffles, the three exceptions, "Rosemary," "Me and My Chauffeur Blues," and "Paper in My Shoe," are first rate uptempo dance tracks.

Since 1979, Buckwheat Zydeco has been synonymous with good vibes, party music and zydeco itself. Trouble is far more than just an example of an artist of his reputation coasting on his laurels. This album was originally released in 1997 by Mesa/Atlantic. That release and Mesa's corporate structure were, to say the least, problematic, and it was good fortune that "Buckwheat" Dural was able to retain rights to the master, as it has now been properly released. From the smoking meltdown of "It's So Hard to Stop" to the title track (which is as good as a New Orleans R&B-based dance track as you'll ever hear), this album is easily one of Buckwheat Zydeco's finest efforts. This CD also includes a super-funky version of the Robert Johnson classic "Crossroads," which gives a great new spin on one of the greatest blues-rock warhorses of all time. This record is infectious, fun (like that's new for this band), and one of their most worthwhile discs.

A relatively standard release from Clifton Chenier, the then reigning king of zydeco. The music bumps and grooves in all the ways it's supposed to. One of the songs dates the album a bit ("Zydeco Disco"), but aside from that one, the rest of the album is pretty much straightforward zydeco and blues. In spots it delves a little into jazz, but only in spots. In and of itself, delving into jazz wouldn't be such a bad thing, but this band's form of the genre tends to be a bit sloppy. When it comes to zydeco, there's no stopping them, but elsewhere they're more stoppable.

Clifton Chenier was to zydeco what Elvis Presley was to rockabilly, only more so - the genre's founding father and tireless ambassador. Rhino has done an admirable job of collecting the accordionist's important work for this two-disc, 40-track set, harking back to a wonderfully chaotic "Louisiana Stomp" that he waxed in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1954 for J.R. Fullbright's tiny Elko label. Whether you're in the market for one zydeco collection to summarize the entire genre or ready to delve deeply into the legacy of the idiom's pioneer, this is precisely where to begin.