Terry and the Zydeco Band Boys, Creole to the Core (MTE Records)


“You can’t make a record if you don’t have nothing to say,” Willie Nelson once wrote. Such a prophetic line could also be paraphrased to apply to an artist’s self-concept: “You can’t make a record if you don’t know who you are.” Accordionist Terry Domingue prefers diatonic accordions and heart attack-thumping rhythms, suggesting that the young buck might lean towards today’s modern stylings but truthfully he falls somewhere between trad stalwarts Preston Frank and Willis Prudhomme and envelope-pushing new breeds Chris Ardoin and J. Paul. While there’s a nod to the roots with Creole French-sung numbers, waltzes and rip-roaring blues, Domingue also incorporates an innovative, modern touch of reggae on “But I Love You.” But mainly Domingue and his beefed-up band just want to rock ya silly and selections like “Duson Two-Step,” “Bad Boys Two-Step” and “Zydeco Stomp” do just that. It would be hard to pick a defining hit here but this record certainly has plenty of staying power and considerably more kick than their 2003 debut disc.