I'm Here! is an album by the American musician Clifton Chenier.[1][2] It was released in 1982 via Alligator Records.[3] Alligator licensed the album in the hope that label head Bruce Iglauer could produce the follow-up.[4] Chenier is credited with His Red Hot Louisiana Band.[5] I'm Here! won a Grammy Award for "Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording".[6] It was the label's first Grammy win.[7] The album was reissued in 1993.[8]
| I'm Here! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Zydeco | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer | Sam Charters | |||
| Clifton Chenier chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by Sam Charters.[9] Recorded in Bogalusa, Louisiana, the album was completed by Chenier and his band in eight hours.[5] Chenier's brother Cleveland played the frottoir.[10] Chenier made more use of horns than on previous albums, due to his dialysis treatments weakening his accordion playing.[11]
Critical reception
edit
Robert Christgau called I'm Here! the "first record I've ever heard hot enough to convince me that all those wild tales about the accordion man weren't so much pepper sauce."[13] The Journal News deemed it "first class zydeco," writing that Chenier "sings with more gusto and his band sounds tighter" on record.[17] The Philadelphia Inquirer praised "the funkiest accordion you'll ever hear" and labeled the disc a "prime party album."[15] The Clarion-Ledger noted Warren Ceasar's trumpet, admiring his "searing upper-register notes and triple-time tonguing" on "I'm the Zydeco Man".[18]
AllMusic wrote: "The music bumps and grooves in all the ways it's supposed to. One of the songs dates the album a bit ('Zydeco Disco'), but aside from that one, the rest of the album is pretty much straightforward zydeco and blues."[12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm the Zydeco Man" | |
| 2. | "Dry Your Eyes" | |
| 3. | "Zydeco Disco" | |
| 4. | "I'm Here!" | |
| 5. | "The New Zydeco" | |
| 6. | "You Got Me Crying" | |
| 7. | "Going Back Home" | |
| 8. | "Eighteen Long Years" | |
| 9. | "In the Mood" | |
| 10. | "Got to Have Your Love" |
References
edit- ^ Pareles, Jon (23 Feb 1986). "The Grammy Awards: Mainstream and Safe". The New York Times. p. A1.
- ^ Zimmerman, David (17 Dec 1987). "Clifton Chenier put the zip in zydeco". USA Today. p. 7D.
- ^ Stashenko, Joel (12 Dec 1996). "Alligator Records has plenty of bite". Entertainment. The State Journal-Register. Associated Press. p. 19.
- ^ Van Matre, Lynn (30 Aug 1998). "Snappy Beat". Books. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Clifton Chenier Biography by Craig Harris". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Clifton Chenier". Recording Academy. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ The Blues Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. 2004. p. 20.
- ^ a b MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 150.
- ^ Tisserand, Michael (2016). The Kingdom of Zydeco. Skyhorse Publishing.
- ^ Dormon, James H., ed. (1996). Creoles of Color of the Gulf South. University of Tennessee Press. p. 139.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 120.
- ^ a b "I'm Here! Review by Adam Greenberg". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Clifton Chenier". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (26 Nov 1982). "Albums". Pop/Rock. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 26.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 128.
- ^ Shepard, Eric (14 Nov 1982). "Record Reviews". The Journal News. p. G5.
- ^ Hall, Mike (28 Nov 1982). "Blues from the Bayou...". The Clarion-Ledger. p. 15H.