Donna Angelle & the Zydeco Posse, Workin’ It (MTE)


Donna Angelle first caught the public’s eye in 1998 with “Old Man’s Sweetheart,” an ode to Boozoo Chavis that summarized the older man’s perceived desirability with the knockout punch line, “He can’t cut the mustard but he can still lick the jar.” Such hit-buzzing success hasn’t been equaled since and probably won’t be here either. Yet, her latest is her strongest to date, a much more focused effort with sharper playing by new band, which including blues guitar veteran Chester Chevalier. Angelle still attempts to straddle both zydeco dance and ’70s R&B camps but the gut-wrenching and steamy “ooh baby, baby” themes will likely appeal more to the relationship-centric R&B crowd than any zydeco demographic. However, when it comes to the big “Z,” Angelle artfully juxtaposes satisfying, hard-charging numbers (“Zydeco Rodeo”) with traditional-styled originals (“Catin”) and vibrant, timeless covers. Of special interest is the re-working of “Old Man’s Sweetheart” since the original version is now out-of-print and isn’t likely to be re-pressed anytime soon. For either camp, respective portions of Workin’ It work well and suggest that Angelle’s next effort should concentrate solely in one market or the other, but not both.