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BEAU JOCQUE & THE ZYDECO HI-ROLLERS: "Pick Up On This" (Rounder 2129)

Jocque is the kind of Zydeco artists we're probably going to see more of in the future. Same basic elements, but more funk, more blues eclecticism, and in this case, a slightly zany vocal approach. The "Zydeco Boogie Woogie" is an absolute scream. It's a Zydeco band doing John Lee Hooker, and done with a little more unrestrained wildness than the Hook has shown lately.

Even wierder is their "Hi-Rollers Theme/Low Rider" medly. I did like "Low Rider," and always did think Lee Oskar was great harp player (Magic Dick too!). The last thing I'd have expected though, was a zydeco band covering the old War classic. To make it even more eccentric, Jocque sings it like a sort of Hooker caricature, with a lot of "hey heys" and "how hows." I think it's an offhand masterpiece.

Like many of the newer bands, the standard uptempo dances and two-steps aren't so breakneck. Most of the fast ones are just a touch slower, but tend to hit harder due to the funk elements mixed in. One interesting thing that illustrates this is the Clifton Chenier cover, "Do Right Sometime." It sounds very straightforward and of a different time and place.

The Hi-Roller vocal approach has an almost improvisational feel, with the back-up singing by the band sounding more like interjections and responses to the vocal line, than structured choruses. Jocque is one of those vocalists who has the ability to make his vocals sound off-the-cuff and made up on the spot. My guess is many of the vocals had their origins in long sweaty jams in bars and clubs. It has that feel. "Pick Up On This" is the best example of this. It has a middle section that is almost all improvisational call and response, and odd shouts and screams. It works.

So, should the Zydeco fan who has a hundred such CD's in the rack this one? I would say yes, but know a hard-core fan might find this one a bit eccentric. I have virtually no Zydeco in my collection, but I've made sure this one has been added to it.

           DELTA SNAKE BLUES NEWS
 May 1994                       Vol 1 - No. 5