The Lake Charles Atomic Bomb

Album Review

Boozoo Chavis vaulted to fame in zydeco circles during the mid-'50s, when his gritty, anthemic "Paper in My Shoe" helped get the fledgling zydeco industry off the ground. The 14 tracks on this 1990 anthology showcase a younger, more vocally spry and dynamic Chavis, singing short, simple, two-step tunes and zydeco/blues hybrids. There isn't anything intricate or complicated about pieces like "Hamburgers and Popcorn," "Oh Ho She's Gone," and "Telephone Won't Ring." They're either anguished heartache songs, novelty tunes, or wailing uptempo pieces, and Chavis doesn't vary his approach, attack, or treatment. But they are direct, honest, and often memorable. It's good to have them available on one anthology.