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Louisiana Music (album)

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Louisiana Music
Studio album by
Released1991
GenreZydeco
LabelAtlantic[1]
ProducerAhmet Ertegun, Shane Keister
Rockin' Dopsie chronology
Zy-De-Co-In
(1990)
Louisiana Music
(1991)

Louisiana Music is an album by the zydeco musician Rockin' Dopsie (credited with his band, the Zydeco Twisters), released in 1991.[2][3] His major label debut, it was also his final album.[4]

Production

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Produced in part by Ahmet Ertegun, the album was recorded in two days.[5][6] Two of Dopsie's sons, Alton Jr. and David, contributed to the album, on drums and rub board, respectively; saxophonist John Hart, formerly of Clifton Chenier's band, also played on Louisiana Music.[7][8] "Since I Lost My Baby" is a cover version of Ivory Joe Hunter's "Since I Met You Baby", which had also been produced by Ertegun.[9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Boston HeraldA−[11]
Chicago Tribune[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Indianapolis Star[7]
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide[1]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[13]
San Jose Mercury News[9]

The New York Times wrote that the album "sounds as slapdash as an impromptu hoedown; Rockin' Dopsie revamps zydeco favorites like Clifton Chenier's 'Hot Tamale Baby (Ain't That Right)', dances all over Little Richard's 'Keep A-Rockin'' and turns a sultry line like 'I'm in the Mood' into a go-go fiesta."[6] The Chicago Tribune concluded that "this is one of the few zydeco bands to pass through a major label machine and come out with its sound and integrity intact."[12] Newsday thought that "Dopsie is nothing more (or less) than an exceptionally solid zydecan, and the same goes for this record, a rare example of blessedly unadorned roots music on a major label."[14]

The San Francisco Chronicle opined that "not since Clifton Chenier has the highly rhythmic, irresistible accordion-driven bayou beat made the heart skip in two-step time like this."[15] The Boston Herald determined that Louisiana Music "hopscotches from rock to blues to two-steps in a potent, dance-floor-packing performance."[11] The Times-Picayune wrote that the "band's loose-limbed style cuts through any pop pretenses ... And by the album's fourth song we're solidly into the classic, loose R&B with French lyrics that brought Dopsie his local following."[16]

AllMusic called the album "a killer dance blend of rootsy zydeco full of grit, funk, and soul with pedal-to-the-metal rhythms."[10] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings complained that the "studio sound crosses the line between pristine and sterile."[13]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."I'm in the Mood" 
2."Keep a Knockin'" 
3."Since I Lost My Baby" 
4."Josephine C'est Pas Ma Femme" 
5."Lafayette Two Step" 
6."Hot Tamale Baby (Ain't That Right)" 
7."The Things I Used to Do" 
8."Calinda" 
9."That's All Right" 
10."Zydeco Two Step" 

References

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  1. ^ a b MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 229.
  2. ^ "Rockin' Dopsie, 61, A Master of Zydeco with His Own Style". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 28, 1993. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Aswell, Tom (September 23, 2010). Louisiana Rocks!: The True Genesis of Rock and Roll. Pelican Publishing. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 85.
  5. ^ Wyman, Bill (August 1, 1991). "Calendar". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Schoemer, Karen (November 22, 1991). "Sounds Around Town". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Sharp, Jo Ellen Meyers (13 Jan 1992). "Record Reviews". The Indianapolis Star. p. D4.
  8. ^ Esmonde, Donn (February 21, 1992). "In Brief". The Buffalo News. p. G31.
  9. ^ a b Plotnikoff, David (December 6, 1991). "Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters". Eye. San Jose Mercury News. p. 24.
  10. ^ a b "Louisiana Music". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  11. ^ a b Convey, Kevin R. (December 6, 1991). "Discs". Boston Herald. p. S12.
  12. ^ a b Heim, Chris (16 Jan 1992). "Rave recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  13. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. pp. 553–554.
  14. ^ Gehr, Richard (24 Nov 1991). "New Releases". Fanfare. Newsday. p. 17.
  15. ^ Selvin, Joel. "Rockin' Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters: Louisiana Music". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 42.
  16. ^ Aiges, Scott (December 13, 1991). "Rockin' Dopsie Captured on Wax". The Times-Picayune. p. L6.