| Pick Up on This! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Recorded | October 1993 | |||
| Genre | Zydeco | |||
| Label | Rounder | |||
| Producer | Scott Billington | |||
| Beau Jocque chronology | ||||
| ||||
Pick Up on This! is an album by the American musician Beau Jocque, released in 1994. [1] [2] He is credited with his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers. [3] Beau Jocque supported the album with North American and United Kingdom tours. [4] [5]
Recorded in October 1993, the album was produced by Scott Billington; Billington later called Beau Jocque among the producer's most exciting finds. [6] [7] "Hucklebuck" is a version of the dance tune. [8] "Zydeco Boogie Woogie" is an interpretation of John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen'". [9] "Give It to Me" uses scratches by a New Orleans turntablist. [6] Pick Up on This! ends with an interpolation of War's "Low Rider". [10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | [10] |
| Austin American-Statesman |  [12] |
| MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide | [13] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [14] |
The Baltimore Sun wrote that when the Rollers "get into a groove, they stay there until the song is over... That's one reason why Pick Up on This! makes for such great party music." [15] The Austin American-Statesman said that the album "reconfirms the band's dancefloor dynamism, though the derivativeness of the material makes it more conducive to quick stepping than close listening." [12] The Washington Post praised Beau Jocque's "eerie Howlin' Wolf-like baritone." [16]
The Philadelphia Inquirer concluded that, "unlike many zydeco artists, whose recordings are stiff, Jocque and the Hi-Rollers sound as loose as they do in performance." [17] Rolling Stone likened the album to "a shotgun wedding of Clifton Chenier and ZZ Top officiated by John Lee Hooker." [18] The Times Colonist stated that the "zydeco is grounded in the band's grinding, funk-inspired back beat." [19] Spin deemed the album "the hottest zydeco ever: a mixture of Cajun, funk, rock 'n' roll, and blues." [20]
AllMusic wrote that "the key is in the groove—there might not be much variety on the album, but [Beau Jocque] keeps the zesty zydeco rhythms pumping throughout." [11]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Give It to Me" | |
| 2. | "Gardez Donc! (Look at That!)" | |
| 3. | "Zydeco Boogie Woogie" | |
| 4. | "Mardi Gras Blues" | |
| 5. | "Comin' In" | |
| 6. | "Don't Tell Your Mama, Don't Tell Your Papa" | |
| 7. | "Yesterday" | |
| 8. | "Do Right Sometime" | |
| 9. | "Hucklebuck" | |
| 10. | "Pick Up on This" | |
| 11. | "Chere Mignonne (Dear Cute One)" | |
| 12. | "Hi-Rollers Theme/Low Rider" |
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.
BeauSoleil is a Cajun band from Louisiana, United States.
Maison de Soul is a Louisiana-based Zydeco and blues record label. It was founded in 1974 in Ville Platte, Louisiana by Floyd Soileau and remains under his ownership. It is one of four record labels under Soileau's Flat Town Music Company umbrella, and combined the Flat Town labels make up "the largest body of Cajun, zydeco, and swamp music in the world". Living Blues magazine has called Maison de Soul "the country's foremost zydeco label".
Beau Jocque was a Louisiana French Creole zydeco musician and songwriter active in the 1990s.
Rosie Ledet is an American Creole Zydeco accordion player and singer. Since circa 2020, she also performs under the name Rosie Bellard.
Scott Billington is an American record producer, songwriter, record company executive and blues musician.
The Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists at the 50th, 51st, 52nd and 53rd Annual Grammy Awards (2008–2011) for quality zydeco or cajun music albums. The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
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"Girl Watcher" is a song written by Ronald B. Killette and Wayne Pittman and performed by The O'Kaysions. It was produced by North State Music. The single was first released in March 1968 on North State Records, but it did not become a hit until re-released in June 1968 on ABC Records.
Lanor Records is an American record label based in the bayou region of Louisiana. It is known for its issues of Cajun and zydeco music.
Bogalusa Boogie is a studio album by the American zydeco musician Clifton Chenier. It was released in 1975 via Arhoolie Records. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2016, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
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.
Strange Pleasure is the first solo album by the American musician Jimmie Vaughan, released in 1994. It is dedicated to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. Vaughan supported the album with a North American tour, including shows with C. C. Adcock.
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.
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