Yvette Landry & The Jukes feat. Roddie Romero
Louisiana Lovin’
Soko Music
This record hits the stores July 27th …and… it is worth waiting for. Those who are old enough, will be brought back in time to the dance halls, bars and Juke Joints of yesteryear. A time when Friday and Saturday nights were filled with good bands, good times, and conveniently forgotten memories. This disc pays homage to the great sounds of Louisiana Swamp Pop Music of that era.
A few years ago, Yvette Landry and Roddie Romero played a duet gig. They performed Dale & Grace’s, number one hit, “I’m Leaving It Up To You”. They later recorded it, and the song became a local hit…again. This is a genuine 1960’s, buckle-polishing, dance song. For those of you who are too young to remember, by the time you and your honey finished dancing to this song your belt buckles were about as shiny as could be. In those old-time Juke Joints and bars, you wanted to be as close to your dance partner as could be. And one way to show it off was the shine on your belt buckle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPwhboF7Yww
For “Louisiana Lovin'”, Yvette Landry wanted to make a disc where the music — with dancing as the aim — took center stage. Yvette and Roddie’s great version of “Leaving It Up To You,” inspired the new album. What came next was putting the band together; Roddie (electric and slide guitars) and Eric Adcock (piano, electric piano, Wurlitzer, Farfisa) were a must. She called Jermaine Prejean, drummer/percussionist, who had knocked her socks off with his rhythms a few years before, Josef Butts (upright Bass), and Derek Huston (Tenor/Baritone Sax) to round it out. With a couple of guest musicians Beau Thomas (Fiddle, Baritone Fiddle) and old friend, Richard Comeaux (Pedal Steel Guitar), the band was complete.
This collaboration between Yvette and Roddie, who live in Breaux Bridge and Lafayette, LA respectively, gave them a chance to add some polish to the music they grew up with. The music of Cookie & the Cupcakes, Juke Boy Bonner, Ivory Lee Jackson and Lonesome Sundown, and the great Bobby Charles inhabited the dancehalls which reverberated with their music. These joints had bands that started at sundown and played until the sun came up the following morning. The people…well, they staggered out, went home, cleaned up, and went to work. The weekend was all about the dancing the night away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRCZ-9HSaeQ
It was a special time and the music was just so wonderful and seemed to echo the thoughts that were in everyone’s heads at the time. It was a simpler time, but a very real time. People didn’t try to hide the truth–they owned up to it, and that was reflected in the music.
A large part of this project was the choice of songs. Almost all of them have a Louisiana background. Some originated almost in Yvette’s back yard. David Egan (Forbidden Love) was a Lafayette native, and friend to both of Yvette & Roddie. The great Bobby Charles (R.C. Guidry), from Abbeville, Louisiana, wrote four songs on the album. Swamp Pop legends like Warren Storm, Cookie and The Cupcakes, and G.G. Shinn, influenced other songs selected. The one non-Louisiana song is Sara Evans’s song, “Three Chords and The Truth, “which just spoke to everyone.
This is a disc made in celebration of dancing, particularly to Louisiana Swamp Pop Music. So, get up off your butts and dance! Thank you, Yvette, and Roddie. It is appreciated.
by bob gottlieb
