| 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 evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers. It blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Although it is distinct in origin from the Cajun music of Louisiana, the two forms influenced each other, forming a complex of genres native to the region.
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.
Beau Jocque was a Louisiana French Creole zydeco musician and songwriter active in the 1990s.
Scott Billington is an American record producer, songwriter, record company executive and blues musician.
Angels Running is an album by the American singer-songwriter Patty Larkin, released in 1993. Larkin supported the album with a North American tour.
Just Before the Bullets Fly is a studio album by the Gregg Allman Band, released on Epic Records in 1988. The album peaked at number 117 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Blues Preacher is an album by the American guitarist James Blood Ulmer, recorded in 1992 and released in Japan on DIW Records and in the US on Columbia/DIW. It was released in North America in 1994.
Sean Ardoin is an American Zydeco musician, singer and four-time Grammy Award nominee.
Turn the Page is an album by the American zydeco 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 zydeco 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.
There's Room for Us All is the second album by the American musician Terrance Simien, released in 1993. It was recorded with Simien's band, the Mallet Playboys. Simien supported the album with a North American tour.
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.
Bringin' It All Back Home is an album by the American musician Johnny Copeland. It was released in 1985. Copeland supported the album with a North American tour.
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.
Midnight Rose's is an album by the American band Royal Crescent Mob, released in 1991. The first single was "Konk". The band supported the album with a North American tour. Royal Crescent Mob was dropped from Sire Records after the release of Midnight Rose's.
King of the Blues: 1989 is an album by the American musician B. B. King, released in 1988. It was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best Contemporary Blues Recording" category.