Buy on Amazon No sophomore slump here, Yvette Landry delivers a beaut that honky tonks its way through an assortment of colorful tales told mostly from a woman’s perspective. Whether it’s turning the tables, perpetuating romantic failure or finding lasting love, she covers a wide range of topics as captured by an observant eye. Some [...]
It’s hard to imagine life being any crazier for Yvette Landry these days between gigging in one of her four Cajun bands, leading her own country/Americana outfit and releasing both a new CD, No Man’s Land, and a children’s book, The Ghost Tree, all practically at the same time. And that’s in addition to teaching [...]
After 37 years as globe-trotting Cajun ambassadors, there are not many unconquered frontiers left for BeauSoleil. Caribbean/world music has a strong presence here on its 25th album, though it’s not necessarily new ground—They did it on 1989’s Bayou Cadillac. Buy on AmazonBuy on iTunes But what’s astounding is how familiar ground can be revisited and [...]
When Lake Charles recordman Eddie Shuler was too busy to record Nathan Abshire because he was already involved with accordionist Iry LeJeune, he referred him to George Khoury whose record shop was around the corner. Hence, Khoury’s family of imprints were born, which have previously been documented by Arhoolie’s Cajun Honky Tonk and Abshire’s French [...]
Any record that lists such top flight players as pianist David Torkanowksy, guitarist Shane Theriot, bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Johnny Vidacovich is bound to have its thrills regardless of whose name is emblazoned on the cover. This one is no exception, even considering its frontman is really a DC-based saxman. But Scott Ramminger’s [...]
While New Orleans will never be as famous for its acoustic music scene as it is for jazz, funk and R&B, Sweet Olive String Band’s auspicious debut brings one of its quieter, longstanding titans to the forefront. Though Pat Flory has resided in the Crescent City since the late 70’s and has made his presence [...]
Accolades like “Best Free Festival of the South” are easy to relate to once you’ve been to a few festivals. But being named “Best World Music Festival” by About.com—as Festival International was in 2012—is almost too good to be true, let alone believable. Personally, I’ve only been to one music festival outside the U.S., the [...]
On her first full-length studio affair since 2009’s On Better Paths, Patterson still finds ways to advance her craft. Perhaps the biggest difference is her predilection for the electric bouzouki (versus acoustic), which allows her to push into more electric-centric, effect-filled and dense arrangements. While certain trad and contemporary Celtic-rooted elements like the intensifying duet [...]
Since Truckstop Honeymoon’s inception a decade ago, Katie Euliss has written some dandies that have won the admiration of her contemporaries. Her nine-track solo debut is a better, unencumbered songwriting showcase since the duo’s other half, Mike West, only plays a sideman’s role on several stringed instruments. Interestingly, the arrangements blend the couple’s typical acoustic [...]
If you only heard selected cuts from this disc, you’d never guess that Ernest James Zydeco comes from a land famous for barbecue and a regrettably woeful football team—Kansas City. The band, led by namesake accordionist Ernest James, smacks it hard on a handful of vintage zydeco tracks that feature Wilders’ fiddler Betse Ellis. But [...]
