C.J. Chenier - The Big Squeeze (1996)

Tracklist

01. Au Contraire, Mon Frere
02. Don't You Just Know It
03. I Have The Right
04. Mixed Up And Confused
05. Cheatin' On The Man You're Cheatin' With
06. Every Day I Have To Cry Some
07. I Can't Judge Nobody
08. Teddy Bear
09. The Moon Is Rising
10. Lion's Den
11. Part Time Woman
12. My Heart's Not Through Loving You
13. No Shoes Zydeco
14. Mon Cher 'Tite Bebe

C.J. Chenier carries on the blues-drenched zydeco tradition of his father Clifton Chenier, but this effort, while competent, is just not as fun to listen to as a zydeco record ought to be. The arrangements by Vasti Jackson seem overwrought at times, as though the players (and there is no shortage here of guitarists, horns, or percussionists) are trying too hard. Bright highs and thick lows dominate the sound; one longs for more mid-range. C.J.'s voice sounds gruff, perhaps showing signs of wear and tear from ten years fronting the band he inherited from his father. Still, there are some fine cuts, like "Cheatin' on the Man You're Cheatin' With," "Lion's Den," and his dad's "No Shoes Zydeco," and C.J. remains one of the top talents on the zydeco circuit.

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