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

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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Boston Herald	A−[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

References