Music
Jimmy Thackery, Healin’ Ground (Telarc)
Thackery gets the roadhouse revue rolling with the humorous opener “Let The Guitar Do The Work,” whose moral is that it’s the guitar, not the bling-bling, that gets the chicks. […]
Eddie Turner, Rise (Northern Blues)
If you ever wondered where mystical bluesman Otis Taylor gets much of his dark, brooding, mysterious textures, look no further than departed sideman/guitarist Eddie Turner. He’s been blues’ best-kept secret […]
Victor Wooten, Soul Circus (Vanguard Records)
Ever since Stanley Clarke laid down the blueprint for modern bass players everywhere with his anthemic “School Days” ode, life at the low end hasn’t been the same. Along comes […]
Red Stick Ramblers, Right Key Wrong Keyhole
When you’re a rambler,” Lost Bayou Ramblers’ Louie Michot once noted, “You’ve got to ramble.” Such a prophetic adage also holds true for Michot’s nomadic counterparts, the Red Stick Ramblers. […]
Buckwheat Zydeco
In 1997, Buckwheat Zydeco nailed one of his best recordings ever and for what? Maybe it was the disc’s ominously christened title, Trouble, that sealed its downward fate. Thanks to […]
Big Red & the Zydeco Playmakers
If ya think zydeco never changes its stripes, check again. Big Red doesn’t have 17 generations of Creole ancestry behind him (just a spouse and a few in-laws) but oddly […]
Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners
Rarely is the race issue explored in zydeco. Terrance Simien and Horace Trahan broached the topic with “There’s Room For All,” and “Reach Out And Touch A Hand” with its […]
Spencer Bohren
With recent releases from Dan Treanor, Frankie Lee and Corey Harris, the exploratory theme of the New World-to-Africa blues odyssey is one that continues to be mined. Along comes Spencer […]
Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band, Going To See Keith Frank (Soulwood Records)
By now Keith Frank could belch on a CD and his devotees would faint in ecstasy. While, at this point, it’d be easy to crank up the formidable family band […]
Clifton Chenier, Louisiana Blues and Zydeco (Arhoolie)
Clifton Chenier first rose to national prominence in 1955 with his R&B hit “Ay Tete Fee.” Nearly a decade later the ride was well over with Chenier playing only to […]
