Queen Ida is the most prolific female performer in zydeco. Her style, as exemplified on MARDI GRAS, is a very accessible kind of laid-back zydeco that includes elements of R&B and Tex-Mex. Her music stands in stark contrast to the more frenetic sounds of Buckwheat Zydeco, Lynn August, and Clifton Chenier.
Queen Ida's band utilizes the instrumentation of a contemporary zydeco band: brass, electric guitar, fiddle, accordion, drums, and rub-board. This disc contains everything from "Where are you Now," a soft ballad typical of Queen Ida's music, to a cajunized cover of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now." Myrick "Freeze" Guillory, who can be heard singing on "New Kid on the Bayou," adds his accordion and rub-board talents. This disc is ideal for someone who is in the mood for a calming set of zydeco.