Search - Various Artists :: Music From Zydeco Kingdom

This excellent introduction to the bluesy, accordion-driven world of Louisiana zydeco was compiled by Michael Tisserand, author of an equally admirable book on the subject titled The Kingdom of Zydeco. Selections range from the early ragged-but-revolutionary fiddle and accordion duets of the Carriere brothers and the duet of Canray Fontenot and Bois Sec Ardoin to such third-generation reinvigorators as Zydeco Force and Chris Ardoin and Double Clutchin'. Always more about the dance hall than the recording studio, zydeco greats such as Clifton Chenier (and his son C.J.), Queen Ida, and Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas made music concerning such everyday concerns as edible hog parts, broken hearts, and the many varieties of Saturday-night fever. Even with a pop sensibility as refined as Clifton Chenier's or Beau Jocque's, though, it's all about rhythm, and this compilation practically quakes with it. --Richard Gehr