Corey Ledet and Cedric Watson:
Goin' Down to Louisiana

Less can definitely be more: music can gain much in feeling, honesty, beauty, and intimacy if you can actually hear individual notes as they flow together, each instrument clearly audible, joined by vocals that are both evocative and understandable because they are clear. That's one way of describing the achievement of Corey Ledet and Cedric Watson on their 2006 CD Goin' Down to Louisiana, but here's the less-is-more essential point: it just sounds good.

Their roots are in Louisiana, but these two young Creole musicians were born and raised in Texas.  They have played together before at various events, but Corey has his own Zydeco band and Cedric plays with the Pine Leaf Boys. Although Corey performs a wide variety of zydeco numbers, he has become especially renowned for his versions of Clifton Chenier's songs, the closest anyone today has come to the sound of the King of Zydeco on the piano accordion. Cedric Watson is the greatest living Creole fiddler--almost by default, since very few remain--but, more to the point, he is an excellent musician who has mastered both the fiddling and vocal style (in French) of the legendary Canray Fontenot.

The CD is the product of Valcour Records, a company with a number of other exciting project under way. Joel Savoy did the engineering, mixing and mastering using analog equipment (no computer editing) at Studio SavoyFaire in Eunice.

A few cuts like "Goin' Down to Louisiana,"  the lively opening number composed by Joel Savoy,  offer what today is taken to taken to be the instrumentation of a band with bass and guitar along with percussion.  The six-and-a-half minute closing version of Chenier's "Hungry Man Blues" adds the fiddle to Chenier's original version. The improvised interplay between the accordion and fiddle echoing back and forth makes you feel the blues even deeper than what the lyrics can convey.

Other cuts give us classic zydeco in its essence: Cedric Watson accompanying himself on fiddle while singing Clifton Chenier's "Ma Negresse" (the original version, of course, features Clifton on accordion but also has his uncle Morris "Big" Chenier on fiddle) and Corey Ledet accompanying himself on accordion singing Chenier's "Mama Told Papa." Corey's version of Chenier's "Black Snake Is in My Room" is close to the original, with accordion, drums, and rubboard.

Other songs include John Delafose's "Broken Heart" with accordion, fiddle, and rubboard, and other examples of Creole music that are probably close to the way the songs may have been originally performed at house dances. On "Colinda," the fiddle carries most of the melody backed by the accordion primarily for rhythm. Other songs in French include "Madame Farielle," "Valse de Cherokee," and "Richard Two-Step."

For more information on the 12 cuts on the CD and the names of the other musicians, go to Valcour Records' web site.

          –David Simpson, LSUE, August 7, 2006

Photos were taken at Festival International in Lafayette April 30, 2006.

Blackpot Festival

Click on the thumbnails below to access larger versions of photos of Corey and Cedric performing at the Blackpot Festival in Lafayette Nov. 11, 2006.  The first photo at left shows Chas Justus of the Red Stick Ramblers on guitar trading licks back and forth with Corey (Chas also performs on the CD).

You think the crowd was having fun?