Funky Nation

In the 1990s, you'd have been hard-pressed to find a more forward-thinking zydeco outfit than Lil' Bryan and the Zydeco Travelers, and the Texans continue to take a lot of chances on 2000's Funky Nation. This is one zydeco band that isn't content to simply emulate Clifton Chenier; while Chenier is an influence, he's hardly the only one. Funky Nation gives the impression that lead singer/accordion player Bryan Terry, aka Lil' Bryan, and his colleagues have also spent a lot of time listening to everyone from James Brown and George Clinton to Bobby "Blue" Bland. For this band, zydeco is something to be combined with funk, southern soul, and the blues as well as hip-hop. And on a few of the slower, more moody numbers, Bryan's accordion playing makes you think of certain types of modern African pop — not the hyper soukous and zouk styles, but the more moody pop sounds coming out of Ethiopia and the Sudan. (Depending on what part of Africa you go to, pop music can be highly energetic or moody and introspective.) But most of the songs on this CD are exuberant, not moody; more often than not, Funky Nation is a party album, and it's a very rewarding one.