Come Get Some what? It’s a Rosie Ledet CD, so what’d’ya think?
Sex, of course. Or, more precisely, decidedly female zydeco soul filled with double entendres and lots of hip-shaking grooves, a sound at which Rosie Ledet typically excels, especially in live settings. Based on her last CD effort, 2005’s Pick It Up, one veteran zydeco journalist dubbed her “the music’s best songwriter.” He also informed his readers, “The queen of teasing lyrics and zydeco artist most likely to be a centerfold is renowned for her songs with a double meaning,” citing as an example “You Can Eat My Poussiere” from 1999’s I’m a Woman, which, it turns out, translates in Cajun French to mean “You Can Eat My Dust.”
Between her last effort and this one, the attention-grabbing bandleader, expert accordionist, and nuanced vocalist has gotten herself a brand new rubboard player, a brand new sound, and a brand new “main squeeze,” Brooklyn-born-and-bred bluesman and lead guitarist, Andre Nizzari. He also serves as producer on Come Get Some, helping to define its sound by playing all the guitar and keyboard parts while contributing bass and “fuzz bass” on selected tracks.
The results are mixed. As zydeco evolves into a new century, its natural environment has become more urban, its sound harder and grittier. In that context, this bass-heavy mix loaded with studio- modified vocal treatments might win Ledet new fans. On the other hand, the more traditionally minded among her fan base may find some these distortions distracting. One thing they are not is uninteresting. Since Ledet’s been flirting with rock and pop sounds on recent albums, touches of slashing blues guitar leads, pedal-steel accents, and reggae-ified, hip-hop rhythms are not completely unexpected. They often provide moments of welcome sonic variety, and the few lighter-themed compositions and more traditional arrangements here happily supply their own brief moments of truly satisfying and genuinely beautiful music.
And the sex thing? This is the whole chorus to Come Get Some’s title tune: “Come, baby / come, baby / baby come, come.” Sounds a lot like sex to me.
