Rating:
Genre:
Cajun
Release Date: 04/23/1991
If you're exploring the pleasures of Louisiana's
zydeco and
Cajun music, one of the best starting points is
Rhino's excellent
Alligator Stomp series of the 1990s.
Vol. 2's main flaw is its failure to list recording dates -- even if
Rhino couldn't find exact recording dates for all of its 18 songs, couldn't the label have at least given the years or approximate years? But the sound quality is fine,
Mary Katherine Alden's liner notes are informative, and
Rhino's selections are excellent. For high-energy
zydeco, it's hard to go wrong with
Queen Ida (
"My Girl Josephine"),
Buckwheat Zydeco (
"Zydeco Boogaloo") or the late
Clifton Chenier (
"Choo Choo Ch-Boogie," "Mama Told Papa"). And for traditional
Cajun music, listeners won't be disappointed by
Iry LeJeune's
"Evangeline Special," the Balfa Brothers' version of the familiar
"Jolie Blond" or
Jo-El Sonnier's hit remake of
"Jambalaya," which was originally a hit for
country legend
Hank Williams, but has become a
Cajun standard. Spanning the '40s to the '80s, this gem-laden CD shouldn't be missed.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide