Customer Reviews

Gon'Be Jus'Fine

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like previous fan reviewers have said, this one grabs you from the start and does'nt let go. Chris Ardoin and Double Clutchin' have possibly produced the premier zydeco party/dance CD with this 1997 release on Rounder Records. The tracks are contagious and transport one to the sawdust filled dance halls of Lake Charles, Houston and Eunice. Chris and Sean Ardoin come from a musical family of Zydeco and Creole royalty. Their talents as musicians and songwriters are clearly evident on this recording which captures all of the excitement of a live Double Clutchin' performance. Cuts destined to become Zydeco dance classics include, the hard drivin' "Lake Charles Connection", "Beauty In Your Eyes", and "When I'm Dead and Gone". Chris and Sean also have the ability to turn down the pace with the sweet soul sound of "Cowboy". Gon' Be Jus' Fine is one to crank up. The Ardoin brothers have established themselves as innovative performers, who are in the forefront of modern zydeco music today. Chris Ardoin stands alone as a bright young artist with an incredible future. In fact, it might be said that the future of zydeco music is in his accordion hands. Gon' Be Jus' Fine is ... Too Fine!

THIS IS A MUST BUY FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES THE SOUNDS OF CAJUN/ZYDECO. CHRIS AND HIS BROTHER MAKE YOU MOVE YOUR FEET AND GET UP AND DANCE. THE DOUBLE CLUTHIN' SOUND IS LIKE NOTHING I'VE HEARD BEFORE OR SINCE. THE CONSTANT POUNDING OF THE BASS DRUM AND CHRIS'S MASTERFUL SQUEEZE BOX SHOULD NOT BE MISSED. KEEP IT UP BOY'S!!!!!!!!!

Young Ardoin's mastery of his music is quite evident on this album. He makes you feel like you've got front row seats at the roadhouse for an all-star show. The music grabs you and won't turn you loose! He easily ranks among the best of zydeco today.

Brothers Chris (still a teenager when this was recorded) and Sean (late 20s) Ardoin are grandsons of Boi Sec Ardoin. Their music is more citified than that of their grandfather, but Chris on accordion and Sean on drums bring the same energy to their electrified zydeco music that their grandfather brings to his acoustic Creole/Cajun stylings. Gon' Be Just Fine was released in 1997, Turn the Page in 1998. Both recordings reveal what happens when young men and women (Tammy Ledet on rubboard) who have grown up in a musical tradition and have spent a lot of time listening to the latest sounds produce when they get their turn in front of the microphone--or I should say, their turn on the bandstand, for the music on these two CDs is first and foremost meant for dancing.

If there is any weakness in what they are doing, in fact, it is because some of the music sometimes sounds like little more than an excuse for getting a dance groove going, or for shouting the phrase "double clutchin'," which is fun every once in a while but gets a little old when it seems to be used in every other song. Clearly, this is a band that is first and foremost a performing band geared toward getting folks in Louisiana and Texas dance halls up on their feet and shaking their chassis to the two-step beat. And even though several of the songs seem better suited to the dance hall than the recording studio, that's not necessarily a bad thing, because there is a way in which these songs have a freshness and spontaneity to them that more careful polishing might have dulled down rather than spiffed up. It is really fun to hear the interplay between the brothers Ardoin, as on the funky cut, "Talk Talk" on Turn the Page. The latter CD shows evidence of growth in the band's sound, with its extra veneer of rhythmic sophistication, but Gon' Be Just Fine is just fine, too.

CHRIS' ALBUM IS DEFINITELY THE BOMB. WITH ME BEING HIS #1 FAN AND ALL I WOULD HAVE VOTED HIS ALBUM 10 STARS BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE RATING RANGE DIDN'T GO THAT HIGH. MY FAVORITE TRACKS ARE #2, #6, #1, #7, #10, #11, #12 AND #13. THIS ALBUM IS FILLED WITH TRADITIONAL AND NOVEAU STYLE. IT'S A WONDERFUL TAPE. I'D LISTEN TO IT EVEN IF I WASN'T HIS NUMBER 1 FAN