Follow Me Chicken

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Follow Me Chicken
Studio album by
Nathan Williams
Released1993
GenreZydeco
LabelRounder[1]
ProducerScott Billington
Nathan Williams chronology
Your Mama Don't Know
(1991) 		Follow Me Chicken
(1993) 		Creole Crossroads
(1995)

Follow Me Chicken is an album by the American musician Nathan Williams, released in 1993.[2][3] He is credited with his band, the Zydeco Cha Chas.[4][5]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Scott Billington.[6] Williams was influenced by the musical style of Clifton Chenier as well as music of the Caribbean.[7][8] Kenyatta Simon played djembe.[9]

"I Need Someone to Love Me" is a cover of the Z.Z. Hill song.[10] "Elle Est Jolie (Isn't She Lovely)" is a cover of the Stevie Wonder song.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Los Angeles Times[13]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[14]
Orlando Sentinel[15]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[8]

The Washington Post wrote: "Yet for all his myriad influences, Williams clearly appreciates the value of a fundamental zydeco groove, the churning, ceaselessly syncopated beat that makes 'Hey Manan', 'Zydeco Is Alright' and 'Zydeco Road' so rhythmically contagious."[16] The Orlando Sentinel determined that the Cha Chas "emphasize the R&B elements of zydeco with nifty horn charts, hints of New Orleans funk and Williams' versatile accordion playing."[15]

The Los Angeles Times noted that "the combination of Williams' skilled accordion and Allen Broussard's alto sax gives the music a broader melodic range than many zydeco groups have."[13] The Press-Enterprise concluded that Williams blends "boogie, soul, country and blues, all spiked with the rhythms of Acadia, into an astonishing dance music ... This is folk music—but it's advancing forward as folk music always must to remain powerful."[9] The Miami New Times stated that "like the best New Orleans music, the Zydeco Cha Chas combine multicultural ingredients to create a fresh stew."[17]

AllMusic wrote that a "high point of the risk-taking album is 'Mama's Tired', which combines zydeco with both ska and '60s-type soul."[12]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Follow Me Chicken" 
2."Mama's Tired" 
3."Hey Maman" 
4."Elle Est Jolie (Isn't She Lovely)" 
5."Zydeco Road" 
6."I'm in Love" 
7."One Track Mind" 
8."Ma Pauvre Maman" 
9."Tout Partout Mon Passe" 
10."Zydeco Is Alright" 
11."Don't Make a Fool Out of Me" 
12."I Need Someone to Love Me" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stoute, Lenny (July 20, 1995). "Summertime, and the perfect music's zydeco". Toronto Star. p. C8.
  2. ^ Tisser, Michael. "Nathan Williams: Keeps It In The Family". OffBeat Magazine.
  3. ^ Tisserand, Michael (July 10, 1998). The Kingdom of Zydeco. Arcade Publishing. ISBN 9781559704182 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Fuselier, Herman (June 23, 2005). "Hall of Fame". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette. p. D1.
  5. ^ "ZYDECO FOLLOWERS OUT OF FRYING PAN". The Times-Picayune. March 25, 1994. p. L9.
  6. ^ Ford, Robert (March 31, 2008). A Blues Bibliography. Routledge. ISBN 9781135865078 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Minton, John (Autumn 1998). "Zydeco on CD". The Journal of American Folklore. 111 (442): 430. doi:10.2307/541051. JSTOR 541051.
  8. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 489.
  9. ^ a b Farr, Jory (September 26, 1993). "Recordings". The Press-Enterprise. p. E3.
  10. ^ Hawkins, Robert J. (September 8, 1994). "FOLLOW ME CHICKEN". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 15.
  11. ^ Kenan, Randall (July 10, 1999). Walking on Water: Black American Lives at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century. Random House. ISBN 9780679737889 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ a b "Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas – Follow Me Chicken Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  13. ^ a b Snowden, Don (January 8, 1995). "Young Zydeco Artists Reignite Chenier's Flame". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 63.
  14. ^ MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. pp. 811, 813.
  15. ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (January 14, 1994). "A MIXED BIN FOR LISTENING PLEASURE". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 9.
  16. ^ Joyce, Mike (September 10, 1993). "Even in Wonder, Nathan's 'Lovely'". The Washington Post. p. N18.
  17. ^ Weinberg, Bob (November 17, 1993). "Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas Follow Me Chicken". Music. Miami New Times.
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