Released in conjunction with Buckwheat Zydeco Classics, this is almost the tale of two zydeco compilations. Beau Jocque Classics represents Rounder’s second such compilation summarizing a successful five-year run that occurred from 1993 to 1998. But unlike Buck’s mere pair of Rounder recordings, Jocque’s prolific label tenure saw the release of five albums (four studio, one live) before his untimely 1999 death as well as a posthumously released live disc and 2001’s Best of Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers. With that much more material to cull from, naturally there is less overlap compared to the Buckwheat Zydeco offering. Still, between Beau Jocque Classics and Best Of, five duplicate tracks does seem a bit much.

Still, for a ten-track, mid-priced affair, Classics does a commendable job of capturing the essence of a zydeco giant who virtually willed himself to stardom following a debilitating work accident. The opening tracks, “Don’t Tell Your Mama, Don’t Tell Your Papa” and “She Wants To Sell My Monkey” not only demonstrate how Jocque was a crafty synthesizer of contemporary and traditional sounds, but how he unfailingly churned out overwhelming, relentless grooves. After his Lanor Records’ debut, the big guy always assembled first-rate bands with incessant chatterbox drummer ‘Skeeta’ Charlot, guitarists Ray Johnson and “Sly” Dorian, bassist Chuck Bush and organist Michael Lockett. While Rounder could have stuck with the tried-and-true groove formula (“Beau Jocque Boogie,” John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun”), the sensuous “Brownskin Woman” suggests Jocque had enough moxie to solely be an accordion-fueled blues artist. Or an R&B showman too, given the breezy “Just One Kiss.” Duplicate tracks or not, no Jocque rehash could be complete without career-defining hits “Richard’s Club” and “Give Him Cornbread,” which are also featured here. Four years following his earthly exit, Beau Jocque still astounds.