| Best Kept Secret | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2000 | |||
| Studio | Ultrasonic | |||
| Genre | Zydeco | |||
| Label | Rounder | |||
| Producer | Scott Billington | |||
| Chris Ardoin chronology | ||||
| ||||
Best Kept Secret is an album by the American musician Chris Ardoin, released in 2000. [1] [2] He is credited with his band, Double Clutchin'. [3] Ardoin supported the album with a North American tour. [4]
Recorded at Ultrasonic Studios, in New Orleans, the album was produced by Scott Billington. [5] [6] Sean Ardoin left the band prior to the recording sessions. [7] Chris Ardoin played rhythm and lead guitar, accordion, rubboard, and bass. [8] Ardoin wrote most of the album's songs. [7] "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a version of the song made famous by the Temptations. [9] "If It Makes You Happy" is a cover of the Sheryl Crow song. [10] "I Don't Want Nobody Here but You" was written by John Delafose. [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Age |  [9] |
| AllMusic |  [12] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [8] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [11] |
OffBeat wrote that, "track after track, the accordion whiz kid puts on the show, pumping out endless sequences of innovative and improvised riffs—flying up and down the scales while hammering out barrages of squealy high notes along the way." [13] The Orlando Sentinel determined that "Ardoin and rhythm guitarist Nat Fontenot lock their guitar parts as tightly as a couple of funk players who've been gigging together for decades." [8] Billboard said that "Ardoin's accordion is propulsive and imaginative; he attacks the rhythm line like a jazz soloist, but he never loses the zydeco groove." [6]
The Boston Globe noted that "unexpected pop salutes (a bit of George Michaels here, Bobby McFerrin there) play into the rhythmic jams." [14] Bass Player praised Curley Chapman's "tight, punchy tone and unfailing groove." [15] Keyboard stated that the "hybrid mixture blends the traditional elements of Cajun, zydeco, and Creole with contemporary elements." [16] The Herald-Sun listed Best Kept Secret among the best albums of 2000. [17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Holdin' On" | |
| 2. | "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" | |
| 3. | "What You Got Down There? Part 2" | |
| 4. | "Best Kept Secret" | |
| 5. | "Hold That Tiger" | |
| 6. | "What's in That Bayou?" | |
| 7. | "Lyin' Cryin' and Tryin'" | |
| 8. | "If It Makes You Happy / It Just Ain't Right" | |
| 9. | "I Don't Want Nobody Here but You" | |
| 10. | "Storm Don't Last Long" | |
| 11. | "Get Gone" | |
| 12. | "Chris's Trail Ride" |
Zydeco is a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles, such as la la and juré. Musicians use the French accordion and a Creole washboard instrument called the frottoir.
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based zydeco music. Both are from southwest Louisiana and share French and African origins. These French Louisiana sounds have influenced American popular music for many decades, especially country music, and have influenced pop culture through mass media, such as television commercials.
Chris Ardoin is a zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the young artists that helped form nouveau zydeco, a new style of music that fused traditional zydeco with various styles including hip-hop, reggae and R&B.
Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin was a Creole accordionist who specialized in the Creole music called "la la music" or "la musique Creole" and was influential in what became zydeco music.
Canray Fontenot was an American Creole fiddle player, who has been described as "the greatest Creole Louisiana French fiddler of our time."
John Irvin Delafose was an American French-speaking Creole Zydeco accordionist from Louisiana.
More Bad Habits is an album by the American musician Ronnie Dawson, released in 1999. His first studio album in decades to be recorded in the United States, it was regarded as a comeback. Dawson preferred to think of his music as rock and roll, claiming that "rockabilly" was a term used by non-musicians.
Turn the Page is an album by the American musician Chris Ardoin, released in 1998. His band, Double Clutchin'—which included his brother, Sean—is also credited. Ardoin was still a teenager when the album was recorded.
Boogie Woogie Zydeco is an album by the American band Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, released in 1991. The album was part of the zydeco revival of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was noted for its especially fast tempos and rock elements.
Hot Rod is an album by the American musician C.J. Chenier, released in 1990. He is credited with the Red Hot Louisiana Band. Although Chenier grew up listening primarily to R&B, he considered Hot Rod to be a traditional zydeco album.
La Chanson Perdue is an album by the American musician Geno Delafose, released in 1998. He is credited with his band, French Rockin' Boogie. Delafose considered the album to be a combination of Creole zydeco and Cajun music; however, the title of the album in part refers to the popularity of zydeco overtaking traditional Creole music. Delafose supported the album with a North American tour.
Follow Me Chicken is an album by the American musician Nathan Williams, released in 1993. He is credited with his band, the Zydeco Cha Chas.
Gonna Take You Downtown is an album by the American musician Beau Jocque, released in 1996. He is credited with his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers. Issued as a vinyl dance track, "Make It Stank " was a regional radio hit. Jocque supported the album with a North American tour.
Boozoo Chavis is an album by the American musician Boozoo Chavis, released in 1991. It was part of the Elektra/Nonesuch American Explorer series. The album was the culmination of a comeback for Chavis that had begun in 1984. Chavis supported the album by playing the Newport Folk Festival.
Where There's Smoke There's Fire is an album by the American musician Buckwheat Zydeco, released in 1990. Zydeco and his band, Ils Sont Partis, supported the album with a North American tour. The album peaked at No. 140 on the Billboard 200.
Pick Up on This! is an album by the American musician Beau Jocque, released in 1994. He is credited with his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers. Beau Jocque supported the album with North American and United Kingdom tours.
Joe Hall was an American accordionist and vocalist who performed Creole la la, Cajun, and zydeco music. He passed away on November 21, 2024.
Who Stole My Monkey? is an album by the American musician Boozoo Chavis, released in 1999. He is credited with his band, the Majic Sounds. Who Stole My Monkey? was the first zydeco album to include a Parental Advisory label. Chavis supported the album with a North American tour.
Too Much Fun is an album by the American musician C. J. Chenier, released in 1995. He is credited with his backing band, the Red Hot Louisiana Band. It was his first album for Alligator Records. Chenier supported it with a North American tour. The first single was "Man Smart, Woman Smarter".
Flyin' High is an album by the American musician Johnny Copeland, released in 1992. Copeland supported the album with a North American tour.