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Zydeco Force 2001 |
2009 UPDATE: Zydeco Force certainly made their mark on the zydeco scene in Louisiana, Texas, and far beyond. After the group disbanded in the middle of the decade, Jeffery Broussard established his own band, the Creole Cowboys. Robby Robinson has been manager for Guyland Leday and is a member of Guyland's band.
In 2001, Zydeco Force continued to show that they are one of the best, most
versatile zydeco bands around.
The pictures on this page were all taken at Downtown Alive! in Lafayette on September 14, 2001. Jeffery Broussard demonstrated both his virtuosity on the accordion and his command of Creole French, singing songs like "Un autre soir dans la prison" that will be on the group's next CD and traditional songs like "Ay, Cayenne." The band also performed many original Zydeco Force numbers, mostly in English, including songs from the group's 2001 CD, You Mean the World to Me.
The CD, released by Maison de Soul and recorded at Acadiana Sounds Studio in Eunice, contains 16 cuts, all but one of them original songs composed by Robby Robinson, the group's bass player and manager.
The opening number is, as the song's title says, "101 Proof Zydeco," with that fast double clutchin' sound that Zydeco Force established in the 1980's.
"Stupid Little Things" is a simple but appealing song that includes exchanges among the band members to illustrate the tendency of all of us to go through life making trivial, funny mistakes.
"Japanese Zydeco" adds an oriental flavor to Louisiana zydeco, perhaps inspired by a visit from a Japanese zydeco group to Louisiana to see the 2000 festival in Plaisance.
"You Mean the World to Me," the CD's title song, is followed "Single Mom," a slow-paced song about the challenges faced by many women who nonetheless find the strength to persevere. "You Stayed with Me" and the band's cover of "Take Time to Know Her" are other slower tempo songs on the CD.
"Flash Back" and "Zydeco from 1988" reprise earlier zydeco sounds.
In "Bye, Bye to the Kings," Jeffery Broussard offers a tribute the the departed greats of zydeco and Creole music beginning with his own father, the late Delton Broussard, and continuing on to Beau Jocque, Danny Poullard, and Boozoo Chavis.
The most intriguing song for those of us who are not fluent in French is titled "Po-Chum (Watu)." At LSUE, we think that Jeffery, for whatever reason, is singing about "le bol de mon pot de chambre," along with some more familiar expressions of loneliness and uncertainty after the little woman has left. Regardless, why is the rest of the band shouting out, "Watu!", which, at least in Swahili, means "people"? Get the CD and reach your own conclusions about this song.
In addition to Jeffery Broussard and Robby Robinson, the band members on the CD are Johnathan August on drums, Demmy Delafosse Thomas on scrubboard and vocals, and Pandy "Guitar Gable" Jr. on guitar and vocals.
Click here to return to the first page on Zydeco Force.
All photographs and text by David Simpson.