Pick Up on This!
| 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]
Production
[edit]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]
Critical reception
[edit]| 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]
Track listing
[edit]| 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" |
References
[edit]- ^ "Beau Jocque Biography by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ World Music: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific. Vol. 2. Rough Guides. 2000. p. 567.
- ^ "'Pick Up on This!' Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers". The Sun News. 3 Apr 1994. p. 9D.
- ^ Fuselier, Herman (28 Apr 1994). "Zydeco's Beau Jocque is bringing his hot sound here". Daily World. No. 108. Opelousas. p. 1.
- ^ "Hi-rolling time in the Swamp". Derby Evening Telegraph. 30 Jun 1994. p. 17.
- ^ a b Billington, Scott (2022). Making Tracks: A Record Producer’s Southern Roots Music Journey. University Press of Mississippi.
- ^ Morse, Steve (17 Sep 1999). "Beau Jocque remembered". The Boston Globe. p. C14.
- ^ The Louisiana Field Guide: Understanding Life in the Pelican State. LSU Press. 2014. p. 162.
- ^ Nager, Larry (23 Apr 1994). "Recordings". The Commercial Appeal. p. C2.
- ^ a b Townsend, Bob (30 Apr 1994). "More great licks from Big Easy's best". Leisure. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 23.
- ^ a b "Pick Up on This! Review by Thom Owens". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ a b McLeese, Don (28 Apr 1994). "Some of the best of JazzFest". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 6.
- ^ MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 408.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 28.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (1 Apr 1994). "Pick Up on This! Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers". Features. The Baltimore Sun. p. 5.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (June 19, 1994). "New Releases". The Washington Post.
- ^ Moon, Tom (25 May 1994). "Mounting Challenges to Traditional Zydeco". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F1.
- ^ Fricke, David (Jun 16, 1994). "On the Edge". Rolling Stone. No. 684. p. 110.
- ^ Blake, Joseph (9 Mar 1995). "Cajun combo good with beans". News. Times Colonist. p. 1.
- ^ Olmstead, Robert (Jan 1995). "Ragin' Cajun". Spin. Vol. 10, no. 10. p. 25.