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I did and they guy blew me away. True Zydeco normally has an accordion as it's lead instrument. When it was announced that he was coming to town a friend of mine insisted that I go check him out. I first became aware of Sonny Landreth in 2005 when he played the annual winter blues series at our local theater. The best song on the album "Congo Square" has become a Landreth fan favorite over the years, and is still a main feature in his live show. This is all fun danceable Zydeco music with Landreth's incredible guitar and Melton's searing harmonica leading the charge.
The music is very much Cajun zydeco blues and quite a bit different from what Landreth would do later.
Landreth is probably best known for his prowess on slide guitar, but he really can play just about any style.
There is nothing cerebral or to heavy about all of this.
Prior to that I had heard the name, and knew he occasionally played with Jimmy Buffett, but other than that was not familiar with his work.
There is no accordion to be found here, but Melton makes up for it by subbing harmonica dynamics where the accordion might normally be.
He hails from New Orleans and to this day there is still a lot of Cajun blues influence to his music.
"Down In Louisiana" is a very early Landreth release back when he was paired up with vocalist / harmonica man Mel Melton in the mid 80's.
The songs are all upbeat pleasurable numbers like "Ay Ai Ai", "Sugar Cane", "The Parish Line" and "If I Ever Got Lucky".
Fans of later day Landreth may not get this early release, but it is a fine representation of the man's roots and is about as much fun as anything I own on CD.
Get up and dance. Sonny is a guitar master and brings his roots to his songs to share with a wider audience.
"Congo Square" is hypnotic and makes you want to dance. Still a favorite, this Sonny Landreth CD is a keeper.
The band I'm in loves playing "Everybody's Breakin'." and it's a big hit whenever we play it. So glad to see it's still going strong.
I'm taking a copy along with me to share with friends in Europe. If you haven't been bitten by the Zydeco bug yet, Landreth is a great into the music (along with Buckwheat Zydeco).
This music was made to party.
Although I have total respect for other slide players past and present (e.g. This recording was done in the early 1980s when Landreth was in his mid 20s. He holds down chords whilst still playing a slided note and quite frankly what he plays with a slide most players can't when fretting normally. This mans technique defies description and he must've exercised alot of patience in order to acquire it. "Ay, Ay, Ay" really is alot of fun and is full of zydeco energy."Sugarcane" is very much in the same veign. He started in Clifton Cheniers band as a teenager and never looked back.
Landreth seems to have taken the whole thing 10 steps further.Cajun Zydeco features highly in Sonny's repertoire.
Hound Dog Taylor, D.
You can feel the excitement and enthusiasm on every track.
There hasn't been a slide player like him EVER.
There isn't one bad track on this c.d.
Allman, Lowell George, Bonnie Raitt, Roy Rogers etc.).
Mr.
"Congo Square", which is Sonny's anthem, is a standout track and listen to his sweeping slide on the slow accordion blues "If I Ever Get Lucky".
This man should be a huge star in the category as Mark Knopfler but i think his modesty and humility prevents him from being so.
Also, Anders Osborne's "Ash Wednsday Blues" is a fine mix of rock and New Orleans sounds. If this is the kind of thing you are looking for, also check out Clifton Chenier, particularly any of the Red Hot Louisiana Band recordings from after Landreth joined the band in 1979.
This is Landreth's most clearly Cajun recording, and the most similar to what he used to play with zydeco king, Clifton Chenier. There is no accordian here, the blues influence is not quite as strong as in real zydeco music, and there isn't much here with a Cajun waltz feel to it, but as long as you aren't looking for a pure sound, that shouldn't bother you.
It is good to see this album available again. All you will find here is some good, fun music.
This album is just some fun, upbeat music with some killer slide guitar playing and some fine harmonica playing from Mel Melton. This is not an album of guitar solos like South of I-10, and this is not a melange of styles like Levee Town, so if you are looking for either of those things, don't expect to find them here.
For those looking to broaden their horizons on this type of music, consider listening to Leftover Salmon's "Ask the Fish" album to hear the sounds of polyethnic cajun slamgrass. Finally, for another New Orleans twist on blues, try John Mooney's "Against the Wall" (which also has some damn fine slide guitar playing).
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