Gonna Take You Downtown

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Gonna Take You Downtown
Studio album by
Beau Jocque
Released1996
StudioUltrasonic Studios, New Orleans
GenreZydeco
LabelRounder[1]
ProducerScott Billington
Beau Jocque chronology
Git It, Beau Jocque!
(1995) 		Gonna Take You Downtown
(1996) 		Check It Out, Lock It In, Crank It Up!
(1998)

Gonna Take You Downtown is an album by the American musician Beau Jocque, released in 1996.[2][3] He is credited with his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers.[4] Issued as a vinyl dance track, "Make It Stank (Special Aromatic Dance Mix)" was a regional radio hit.[5][6] Jocque supported the album with a North American tour.[7]

The Scottish writer James Kelman used lyrics from the title track in his 2016 book, Dirt Road.[8]

Production[edit]

Recorded in New Orleans, the album was produced by Scott Billington.[9] Its sound was influenced by funk and hard rock.[10] "Make It Stank (Special Aromatic Dance Mix)" employed tape loops and samples.[11]

"I'm on the Wonder" is a cover of the Clifton Chenier song.[12] "The Back Door" is a cover of the D. L. Menard song.[6] A talk box was used on the covers of "Cisco Kid" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".[13]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[15]
Orlando Sentinel[16]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[11]

The Chicago Reader wrote that Jocque has "pumped up his zydeco with the energy of rock, somehow incorporating that style's forceful backbeat without letting it dominate."[12] The Orlando Sentinel stated that "Jocque has a deep, imposing growl of a voice, and his style has a strong funk-soul influence," writing that "the only misstep is a rather pointless addition to the long list of covers of Bob Dylan's 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'."[16] The Denver Post determined that "Jocque groans and cries like a possessed John Lee Hooker."[17]

Guitar Player called the album "brimming with righteous rhythms, from the deep, offbeat pocket of Caribbean mento to the sultry swing of roots reggae and the full-bore zydeco romps."[13] Miami New Times opined: "There's some good, smoking stuff here, with a few Jocque originals that extend the legacy of zydeco and rock like mad in the process. Judging by the covers, though, Beau don't know his own considerable strengths."[18]

AllMusic wrote that "the things that set Jocque's band apart from other zydeco mainstays are the infusions of rock and funk, usually more or less missing from the genre."[14] City Pages listed Gonna Take You Downtown as the 18th best album of 1996.[19] The Village Voice concluded that on Gonna Take You Downtown the band "have perfected a superheroic woofer-whomping blend of Louisiana accordions and lubricious funk."[20]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Gonna Take You Downtown" 
2."Cisco Kid" 
3."Allé Parti pour Voi Beau Jocque (Going to See Beau Jocque)" 
4."I'm on the Wonder" 
5."The Back Door" 
6."Boogie Woogie All Nite Long" 
7."It's So Easy When You're Breezin'" 
8."A Little Love Always Make It Bettah" 
9."Just One Kiss" 
10."Knockin' on Heaven's Door" 
11."Kinder 2 Step" 
12."Make It Stank (Special Aromatic Dance Mix)" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pop Music & Jazz". FANFARE. Newsday. 28 May 1995. p. 4.
  2. ^ "Beau Jocque Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Kiviat, Steve (December 6, 1996). "Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers". Washington City Paper.
  4. ^ "The Monterey Bay Blues Festival". Girl's Life. 3 (6): 16. Jun–Jul 1997.
  5. ^ Beal Jr., Jim (February 19, 1997). "Roots: The next generation – Remixers dressing up folk-based music for the club scene". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1G.
  6. ^ a b "Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers Gonna Take You Downtown". The Times-Picayune. November 8, 1996. p. L20.
  7. ^ Norman, Michael (November 24, 1996). "POP/ROCK". The Plain Dealer. p. 1I.
  8. ^ Kelman, James (July 11, 2017). "Dirt Road". Catapult – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Billington, Scott (June 16, 2022). "Making Tracks: A Record Producer's Southern Roots Music Journey". Univ. Press of Mississippi – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Shand, John (6 Mar 1998). "I SAID DANCE, SUCKER". Metro. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 27.
  11. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 29.
  12. ^ a b "Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers". Chicago Reader. November 21, 1996.
  13. ^ a b Isola, Gregory (Dec 1996). "Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers: Grooving in Dorion's mode". Guitar Player. 30 (12): 25.
  14. ^ a b "Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers - Gonna Take You Downtown Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  15. ^ MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 350.
  16. ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (23 Aug 1996). "BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO, BEAU JOCQUE, GENO DELAFOSE". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 10.
  17. ^ "Music CD gems clear choice as perfect gift for all tastes". The Denver Post. December 8, 1996. p. H1.
  18. ^ Floyd, John (October 3, 1996). "Rotations". Music. Miami New Times.
  19. ^ Robson, Britt (January 15, 1997). "Knockin' Back 40". Cover Story. City Pages.
  20. ^ Orteza, Arsenio (11 May 1999). "Eat their poussiere". The Village Voice. 44 (18): 119–120.
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