Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas

A rich product of the Creole-American culture in Louisiana, singer/accordion player Nathan Williams and his band the Zydeco Cha Chas became one of the most popular zydeco dance bands of the late 1980s and early- to late-'90s. Follow Me Chicken points to the fact that while Williams is very much an admirer of the great Clifton Chenier, he's also a fine artist in his own right. This CD is full of surprises -- in addition to providing sweaty originals like "Hey Maman" and "Tout Partout Mon Passe," Chicken finds Williams interpreting bluesman Z.Z. Hill's "I Need Someone to Love Me" and translating Stevie Wonder's 1977 hit "Isn't She Lovely" into French Creole. Another high point of the risk-taking album is "Mama's Tired," which combines zydeco with both ska and '60s-type soul. And African influences are incorporated on "Zydeco Road" and "Zydeco Is Alright," both of which employ guest Kenyatta Simon on the djembe (a West African instrument). Follow Me Chicken is a disc that zydeco enthusiasts should make a point of obtaining. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide