Too Much Fun is an album by the American musician C. J. Chenier, released in 1995.[1][2] He is credited with his backing band, the Red Hot Louisiana Band.[3] It was his first album for Alligator Records.[4] Chenier supported it with a North American tour.[5] The first single was "Man Smart, Woman Smarter".[6]
| Too Much Fun | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Studio | Ardent | |||
| Genre | Zydeco | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer | C. J. Chenier, Bruce Iglauer | |||
| C. J. Chenier chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by Chenier and Bruce Iglauer.[6] It was recorded over a week, the longest amount of time that Chenier had spent working on an album; his main concern was ensuring that all the songs sounded different, rather than employing the same zydeco tempo.[7] Chenier played alto saxophone as well as accordion.[8] The Memphis Horns and Vasti Jackson contributed to the album.[9][10] "Zydeco Cha Cha", "Louisiana Two Step", and "You Used to Call Me" were written by Chenier's father, Clifton.[11] "Down Home Blues" is a cover of the song made famous by Z. Z. Hill.[10]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [12] |
| The Associated Press | [13] |
| Blade-Citizen | B+[14] |
| MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide | [15] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [16] |
The Washington Post wrote that the album is "an arousing example of how zydeco's polyrhythms can benefit from the ballad conventions and horn charts of Memphis soul."[10] The Telegram & Gazette said that "Chenier's singing is as impressive as the band's playing, with his voice carrying the rich resonance of a pure bluesman."[17] The Chicago Tribune concluded that "much of the music comes off as zydeco-peppered blues rather than freshly- seasoned zydeco."[18]
The Record determined that "Chenier's flamboyant accordion-playing is complemented by his smooth, soulful baritone voice and a superb backing band."[19] The Journal & Courier opined that the "reigning crown prince of zydeco delivers the instant party record of the season."[20] The Associated Press stated that Too Much Fun "works better than most studio zydeco albums."[13]
AllMusic noted that "it would be unthinkable in the zydeco tradition to have too much fun without dancing being on the agenda, so dance tunes rule the record."[12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" | |
| 2. | "Bad Luck" | |
| 3. | "Richest Man" | |
| 4. | "Too Much Fun" | |
| 5. | "Give Me Some of That" | |
| 6. | "Louisiana Down Home Blues" | |
| 7. | "Zydeco Cha Cha" | |
| 8. | "Lost in the Shuffle" | |
| 9. | "Got You on My Mind" | |
| 10. | "Squeaky Wheel" | |
| 11. | "I'm Not Guilty" | |
| 12. | "You Used to Call Me" | |
| 13. | "Louisiana Two Step" |
References
edit- ^ Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 141.
- ^ Iglauer, Bruce (2018). Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story. University of Chicago Press. p. 318.
- ^ Dickerson, Chris (2 June 1995). "C.J. Chenier, Friday at FitzGerald's...". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. P.
- ^ Koster, Rick (2000). Texas Music. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 247.
- ^ Thompson, Stephen (28 Mar 1996). "Chenier Brings Funky Zydeco to Crystal". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 7.
- ^ a b "Album reviews — Too Much Fun by C. J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 19. May 13, 1995. p. 76.
- ^ Weatherford, Mike (21 Apr 1995). "Zydeco master Chenier has fun with his music". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 2D.
- ^ Chapman, Geoff (29 June 1995). "C.J. Chenier, Too Much Fun". Toronto Star. p. H12.
- ^ Tisserand, Michael (2016). The Kingdom of Zydeco. Skyhorse.
- ^ a b c Himes, Geoffrey (23 June 1995). "C. J. Chenier takes Zydeco to Memphis". The Washington Post. p. WW17.
- ^ Krewen, Nick (8 June 1995). "C.J. Chenier, Too Much Fun". Ego. The Hamilton Spectator. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Too Much Fun Review by Rose of Sharon Witmer". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ a b Fidler, Eric (Apr 14, 1995). "Record Rack". The Burlington Free Press. AP. p. 15A.
- ^ Trageser, Jim (Apr 14, 1995). "Zydeco". Blade-Citizen. Preview. p. 19.
- ^ MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 148.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 118.
- ^ McLennan, Scott (31 Aug 1995). "Cajun Festival quite an affair". Telegram & Gazette. p. C1.
- ^ Reger, Rick (29 Mar 1996). "Concertline". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. T.
- ^ Johnson, Steven C. (19 May 1996). "Zydeco". Books & Music. The Record. p. 13.
- ^ Bangert, Dave (Apr 28, 1995). "The good times keep rolling with Chenier". TGIF. Journal & Courier. p. 6.