Product Review

The "star" of Louisiana music, the photogenic and energetic Wayne Toups took the unusual step early on of naming his band (and this disc) after the style of music he supposedly invented: Zydecajun. A Cajun accordion player who always wears a headband and uses zydeco rhythms, Toups's real calling card is Cajun-flavored rock. No favorite among musical purists, he is nevertheless a huge crowd pleaser. On this early set, Toups turns in a bayou-tinged version of John Lee Hooker's blues classic "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," and a charged up cover of the zydeco music classic "Les Zydeco sont pas sal&ecaute;." Guests on this disc include Beausoliel fiddler Michael Doucet and Louisiana slide guitarist Sonny Landreth. --Robert Baird