Consumer Guide Album

Clifton Chenier: Out West [Arhoolie, 1974]
As the king of the accordion-based Louisiana blues known as zydeco, Chenier is revered among such patrons of the folk as Arhoolie's Chris Strachwitz, who has now recorded six albums with him. This is a good thing, I guess, but Chenier strikes me most of the time as a big frog in a small bayou--in French or English his slurs and impassioned moaning are pretty automatic, and the most distinctive thing about his accordion playing is that he plays accordion. This album adds Bay Area guitarist Elvin Bishop and pianist Steve Miller to Chenier's six-piece lineup, and I welcome the impurities--Miller is nothing special, but Bishop's solos give Chenier room to breathe and something to test his strength against. The only loss is Cleveland Chenier's counterrhythms on rubboard, which sink into the mix, but with Arhoolie that's always a danger anyway. B