Digging from the extensive
Cajun
archives at
Arhoolie
, this album, part of the American Masters series, gives the listener a nice overview of a genre's facets. Luckily for the listener with a short attention span, this compilation features very few of the oldest, scratchiest-sounding works and has a pretty good focus on the up-tempo stuff.
Beausoleil
opens it up with a
jig
, followed by a slow
waltz
from
Nathan Abshire
and a two-step from
Wade Fruge
.
Balfa
,
Savoy
, and
Menard
take up another slower number, followed immediately by
Cheese Read
jumping with his fiddle fast and hard enough to sound like a small ensemble.
The California Cajun Orchestra
has a bouncing swing to its work,
Harry Choates
has a little
country
in his sound, and the old
Hackberry Ramblers
take their opportunity to contribute a slow rendition of
"Jolie Blonde."
The Savoys
and
Doucets
combine for a nice rendition in honor of
Amede Ardoin
Canray Fontenot
uses his fiddle to good effect in
"Bernadette,"
Austin Pitre
uses a bass drum to pound out the power of
"Bosco Stomp."
The
Magnolia Sisters
provide a traditional song,
Dewey Balfa
returns with a romp (
"Basile Breakdown"
) heavy on the triangle, and
Michael Doucet
makes a nice vocal show. The album finishes up on the venerable
Joe Falcon
and his fiddle playing is a raucous, if not cacophonous piece (
"Flames of Hell"
). Overall, it's not a bad collection of
music at all, with the weight of the
catalog to back it up. For those interested in
, it's a fine starting point, comparable with
Rounder
's
Essential Collection
. ~ Adam Greenberg