Artist: Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers
Album: Bon Ton
Label: Louisiana Red Hot Records
Release Date: 5.24.2019
Dwayne Dopsie is a true firecracker, an explosive force with a musical fire that always fuels everything he touches. Anyone who has caught his live act will know just how extraordinarily engaging he can be. Zydeco, together with its Cajun cousin, can all too easily become wearing with its relentless vibe that, to many, can all too easily become off-putting. Luckily, Dopsie is aware of this tendency and successfully pushes forward with a remarkable force, energy and near-elemental power that keeps him just on the right side of enjoyable.
A Grammy award nominee in 2018, Dopsie picked up the ‘America’s Hottest Accordion’ award and moved on to record Bon Ton, roughly translatable as ‘Good Times.’ And the good times sure roll fast, sweaty, loud and joyously from start to finish. Dopsie has a near-unique talent that undoubtedly owes much to the coaching and influences of his late father, Alton ‘Rockin’ Dopsie’ Rubin, an absolute accordion master and giant in the funky Louisiana Zydeco world.
Here Dwayne Dopsie channels his father’s old push and power with his own flourishes and an appealing virtuosity that lifts this album beyond the ordinary and takes Zydeco to ever-surprising heights, with a vocal delivery that matches the nifty instrumental strength. This album is simply fun from beginning to end, and echos Dopsie’s own belief that Zydeco is ‘in my blood and is my heart and soul.’ A real explosive release from a towering Zydeco musician who knows exactly what he’s doing.
—Iain Patience
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