Chris Ardoin and Nu Step, Sweat (Independent)


The body wasn’t even cold by the time Chris Ardoin re-christened Double
Clutchin’ to NuStep immediately after the release of 2004’s Save
the Last Dance
. But years after an amiable parting with older sibling Sean, whom
he co-founded Double Clutchin’ with, the legacy moniker still translated
into occasional confusion and misperceptions among a devoted fan base. Hence,
the NuStep strategy harkens another turning point in the prodigious accordionist’s
storied career. This time out, Ardoin divorced himself from record label schedules
and troublesome budgets and recorded, mixed and mastered these 16 tracks at his
own studio that’s just behind the Ardoin family homestead in Lake Charles.
The fat-bottomed opener “The Show” sets up the NuStep concept and
from there, the airtight proceedings throttle just as intense as ever, even with
the overall pace downshifting to a slower, mid-tempo groove. With the exception
of the scorching guitar work of “Think,” Ardoin rarely explodes it
over the top but consistently keeps it cresting close to the edge. Dancers should
dive into delirium delight while marveling at the various finishing touches like
the layered background vocals, futuristic digitized voices, space-age guitar
riffs (“Creepin’”) and the contemporary Latin-influenced, organ-fueled “Feelin’ U.” While
all this works exceedingly well, the only misgiving is that the aching traditional “No
Love Waltz” should have been sung in French rather than in English. On “Bury
Me,” Ardoin pumps the disc’s smokin’-est, bluesy-est accordion
playing with fingers flying across the keys. As an added bonus, Ardoin closes
with “Ya Body Remix,” a 10:20 minute live cut that eventually launches
into a torrid, dizzying finale. A triumphant achievement.