MEL MELTON
Papa Mojo's Roadhouse (Lousiana Red Hot)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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I've always enjoyed Zydeco and Cajun music. Mel Melton, an award-winning Cajun chef based in North Carolina, has cooked up a spicy gumbo of a good Zydeco record. Mel co-wrote "Congo Square" with former Bayou Rhythm bandmate Sonny Landreth, and Sonny plays some blistering slide guitar on Mel's "Ils Sont Parti" on Papa Mojo's Roadhouse.

Sonny and Mel go way back to 1978, when they worked with Buckwheat Zydeco and C.J. Chenier on Blues Attack, Landreth's first album. When I think of Zydeco or Cajun music, I usually think of the three-row accordion (played by Buckwheat Zydeco or Boozoo Chavis), but that instrument isn't in Mel's line-up. Instead, Mel uses his harmonica the same way Buckweat and Boozoo use the accordion. The results, like Mel's award-winning recipes as a Cajun chef, are tasty. Papa Mojo's Roadhouse is Mel Melton's third CD, and you can sample his Mojo Dream from 2000 at www.melmelton.com.

© 2007 - Eric Steiner