Boozoo Chavis is an album by the American musician Boozoo Chavis, released in 1991.[1][2] It was part of the Elektra/Nonesuch American Explorer series.[3] The album was the culmination of a comeback for Chavis that had begun in 1984.[4][5] Chavis supported the album by playing the Newport Folk Festival.[6]
| Boozoo Chavis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Zydeco | |||
| Label | Elektra/Nonesuch | |||
| Producer | Terry Adams | |||
| Boozoo Chavis chronology | ||||
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Production
editBoozoo Chavis was produced by Terry Adams; Adams and NRBQ had recorded a song titled "Boozoo, That's Who!"[7][8][9] The album was recorded in Louisiana over the course of four days, a long period of studio time for a Chavis album.[10] Two of Chavis's sons played on the album; Chavis's band used rubboard, bass, two guitars, and drums.[11][12] Chavis did not always enjoy recording in a professional studio setting, even though Adams took a hands-off approach.[13][14] Chavis performed a few solo numbers with just his accordion and vocals.[15]
Chavis first recorded some of the songs, such as "Tee Black", in the 1950s.[16] On "Forty One Days", he acknowledges his sometimes shaky sense of cadence: "If it's wrong, do it wrong."[17] "Bernadette" is performed as a ballad.[18] "Dog Hill" is about Chavis's neighborhood in Lake Charles, Louisiana.[19] Chavis sang some songs in a French-English dialect.[20]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [21] |
| Calgary Herald | B[22] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[23] |
| Houston Chronicle | [5] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [7] |
Entertainment Weekly wrote that Chavis's "shuffling snare drum is a mark of an authentic (even exemplary) excursion into zydeco."[23] The Austin American-Statesman noted that the production "gives the music the benefit of modern studio clarity without diminishing the rough-hewn immediacy that makes it sizzle."[24] The Calgary Herald concluded: "This is zydeco music without any of the slickness that has affected it in recent years, but with all the infectious joy that the music brings to listeners."[22]
The New York Times stated that "the tempos shuffle and jive, the melodies swagger; it's pure and primitive, with just a hint of down-home blues."[25] The Vancouver Sun deemed the album "a must for zydeco fans," writing that "he's got a knack for hilarious song titles ... is a masterful accordion player and can whoop it up with the best of them."[26] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram opined: "The difference between Chavis and many of his contemporaries, however, is how well he works within the rather limited boundaries of zydeco; he constantly varies the tempos and instrumentation, and his accordion lines are much more interesting than the usual easygoing zydeco oom-pah."[27]
AllMusic wrote that "the call and response can get a bit overly burdensome in the slow numbers, but there's an element of the rural sounds of zydeco throughout."[21]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boozoo's Theme Song" | |
| 2. | "I'm Ready Me" | |
| 3. | "Dog Hill" | |
| 4. | "Keep Your Dress Tail Down" | |
| 5. | "Johnnie Billy Goat" | |
| 6. | "Gilton" | |
| 7. | "Goin' to La Maison" | |
| 8. | "Forty One Days" | |
| 9. | "Oh Yae Yae" | |
| 10. | "Tee Black" | |
| 11. | "Zydeco Hee Haw" | |
| 12. | "Don't Worry About Boozoo" | |
| 13. | "Bernadette" |
References
edit- ^ Hadley, Frank-John (August 19, 1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press.
- ^ Goldstein, Patrick (30 June 1991). "Pop Eye". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 59.
- ^ McLeese, Don (7 Feb 1991). "Project highlights original material". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 5.
- ^ Komara, Edward M. (August 19, 2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Psychology Press.
- ^ a b Racine, Marty (July 28, 1991). "Boozoo Chavis' self-titled release is a case of pre-zydeco zydeco...". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 15.
- ^ Vovcsko, Jerry (12 Aug 1991). "Folk still haunts souls". Telegram & Gazette. p. D3.
- ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 148.
- ^ Heim, Chris (18 Oct 1991). "John Lee Hooker, B.B. King among blues fest headliners". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. Q.
- ^ Katz, Larry (August 9, 1991). "Discs". Boston Herald. p. S18.
- ^ Harris, Paul A. (October 20, 1991). "Boozoo Chavis Puts Act Back on Road". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3C.
- ^ Moon, Tom (14 July 1991). "Albums True to the Roots of Rock". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I1.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (11 Oct 1991). "Elektra Nonesuch American Explorer Series". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 10.
- ^ Sandmel, Ben (1999). Zydeco!. University Press of Mississippi. p. 70.
- ^ Spera, Keith (July 5, 1991). "At Last, Boozoo Goes on Record". The Times-Picayune. p. L6.
- ^ Selvin, Joel (July 28, 1991). "Boozoo Chavis". Sunday. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 36.
- ^ Heim, Chris (1 Nov 1991). "Boozoo Chavis: Classic zydeco, straightforward talk". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. O.
- ^ Outerbridge, Laura (August 1, 1991). "Birchmere gets set for late-blooming trio". The Washington Times. p. M11.
- ^ Gnerre, Sam (October 20, 1991). "'Explorer Series' digs up American roots music". Daily Breeze. p. D4.
- ^ Hoekstra, Dave (November 1, 1991). "Fame late for 61-year-old Cajun singer Boozoo Chavis". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 12.
- ^ Eichenberger, Bill (September 15, 1991). "New Series Explores Five Music Pioneers". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 4D.
- ^ a b "Boozoo Chavis". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Muretich, James (25 Sep 1991). "Finally – music unsullied by money's grime". Calgary Herald. p. B7.
- ^ a b "The American Explorer Series". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ McLeese, Don (18 July 1991). "Home across the range". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 19.
- ^ Schoemer, Karen (9 Aug 1991). "Zydeco, the Chavis Way". The New York Times. p. C5.
- ^ Mackie, John (14 Sep 1991). "America's roots gain a toehold". Vancouver Sun. p. D23.
- ^ Ferman, Dave (July 16, 1991). "In search of music in its most natural state". Life. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 5.