Hot Rod (album)

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Hot Rod
Studio album by
C.J. Chenier
Released1990
GenreZydeco
LabelSlash[1]
ProducerChris Strachwitz, C.J. Chenier
C.J. Chenier chronology
My Baby Don't Wear No Shoes
(1988) 		Hot Rod
(1990) 		I Ain't No Playboy
(1992)

Hot Rod is an album by the American musician C.J. Chenier, released in 1990.[2][3] He is credited with the Red Hot Louisiana Band.[4][5] Although Chenier grew up listening primarily to R&B, he considered Hot Rod to be a traditional zydeco album.[6]

Chenier supported the album by playing shows with, among others, Buckwheat Zydeco and Terrance Simien.[7][8]

Production[edit]

Recorded in less than two weeks, the album was produced by Chris Strachwitz and Chenier.[9][10][11] The majority of the band had played with Chenier's father, Clifton Chenier.[12] "You're Still the King to Me" is a tribute to Clifton.[13]

"Hot Rod", written by Clifton, was C.J.'s favorite zydeco song as a child.[14] "Jole Blon" is a cover of the Cajun waltz.[15] Chenier wrote Hot Rod's remaining 10 songs, including the ballad "It's a Shame".[16][17]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Calgary HeraldB+[19]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[20]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[11]
Orlando Sentinel[21]
The Republican[12]

The Calgary Herald noted that "it's just Chenier's gritty accordion and fellow musicians delivering a heaping helping of blues, rock and country via a spicy zydeco mixture."[19] The Washington Post considered "Harmonica Zydeco" to be the album's best original composition, and labeled the album "an infectious celebration of his family roots."[22] The Houston Chronicle called the band "still the tightest rhythm section in zydeco, equally capable of holding down a mesmerizing blues groove and picking up a triangle and extra rubboard to funkify an ancient Acadian reel."[8]

The Orlando Sentinel opined that "this is genuine, 100 percent zydeco although the genre's soul and blues components are more prominent in C.J.'s music than in his father's... C.J.'s accordion sometimes plays sax-style licks or mimics a Hammond organ."[21] USA Today thought that Chenier "proudly carries the torch with plenty of rock ... folk and R&B squeezed into the squeezebox-driven grooves."[23] The Dallas Morning News determined that Chenier's "muscular when he needs to be but doesn't insist, as Buckwheat sometimes does, on forcing marriages between zydeco and other brands of music."[24]

AllMusic wrote that "the majority of the songs are jumping little pieces, with a mishmash of zydeco, boogaloo, and R&B all rolled into one."[18]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."I Feel Alright" 
2."Got My Eyes on You" 
3."It's a Shame" 
4."Zydeco Express" 
5."You're Still the King to Me" 
6."Before It's Too Late" 
7."Harmonica Zydeco" 
8."Your Time to Cry" 
9."Hot Rod" 
10."Old Fashioned Party" 
11."Jole Blon" 
12."Just the Beginning" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tisserand, Michael (2016). The Kingdom of Zydeco. Skyhorse.
  2. ^ "C.J. Chenier Biography by Craig Harris". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  3. ^ Gross, Terry (December 11, 1990). "Zydeco Musician C.J. Chenier Follows in His Father's Footsteps". Fresh Air. NPR.
  4. ^ Broussard, Sherry T. (2013). Louisiana's Zydeco. Arcadia Pub. p. 54.
  5. ^ Koster, Rick (2000). Texas Music. Macmillan. p. 247.
  6. ^ Weatherford, Mike (8 Feb 1991). "Zydeco stars fill city's yearning for Mardi Gras Music". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 2E.
  7. ^ Harrison, Tom (22 Feb 1991). "King of Zydeco Acknowledges His Debt in Song". The Province. p. P23.
  8. ^ a b Mitchell, Rick (December 31, 1991). "Zydeco's past, future fused in Chenier-Simien rhythm frenzy". Houston. Houston Chronicle. p. 8.
  9. ^ Jarvey, Paul (20 Feb 1992). "C.J. Chenier grew into zydeco music". Telegram & Gazette. p. D1.
  10. ^ Gilbert, Calvin (November 16, 1990). "Red hot tradition continues". Fun. The Advocate. p. 5.
  11. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 149.
  12. ^ a b O'Hare, Kevin (January 6, 1991). "C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band, 'Hot Rod'". The Republican. p. D10.
  13. ^ Hadley, Frank-John (1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press. p. 42.
  14. ^ Washburn, Jim (19 July 1990). "He's the Son of Zydeco's King, but He's Not Thinking About the Crown". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 2.
  15. ^ Riley, Nano (18 Jan 1991). "Spiced-Up Family Tradition". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 33.
  16. ^ Bourke, Brian G. (March 31, 1991). "Louisianan Music Styles Gain Fame, Begin to Merge". Stars. Syracuse Herald American. p. 26.
  17. ^ Eichenberger, Bill (April 7, 1991). "'Fad' Status Hurts Cajun, Zydeco". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 7G.
  18. ^ a b "Hot Rod Review by Adam Greenberg". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  19. ^ a b Muretich, James (18 Nov 1990). "Recent releases". Calgary Herald. p. F5.
  20. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 317.
  21. ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (18 Jan 1991). "C.J. Chenier". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 22.
  22. ^ Wartofsky, Alona (3 Dec 1990). "C.J. Chenier's Reelin' Romp". The Washington Post. p. C6.
  23. ^ Gundersen, Edna (24 Apr 1991). "Take a bite of 'Alligator stomp'". USA Today. p. 4D.
  24. ^ Dembling, Sophia (January 6, 1991). "C.J. Chenier's Cajun country". The Dallas Morning News. p. 4C.
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