You could accuse the Breton Sound of creating awfully high expectations for itself if you assume that the pop/rock music audience knows its Aristotle. Eudaemonia was his term for the highest human good, but more people will likely learn that as I did (by Googling it), so the album title signals little more than these [...]
If you’ve seen MarchFourth Marching Band live, perhaps at Voodoo or last year’s Halloween show at House of Blues, you know the incredible energy this band is capable of bringing. With an entourage of more than 30 horn players, percussionists, acrobats and stilt-walkers M4 has proven itself to be one of the premiere touring acts. [...]
Other than reissues, true gutbucket blues CDs have been a rarity for more than a decade. Enter Exhibit A—Evening. One of the better harp players on the scene today, Sugar Ray Norcia gets a smoky, vintage sound by playing period instruments through tube amps. The sound is enhanced dramatically by Norcia not singing through the [...]
Though there aren’t as many various artist Cajun-zydeco compilations being released these days, The Rough Guide to Cajun & Zydeco is one of the few that actually makes sense. Instead of featuring randomly selected tracks or historically based selections showing where the genre has been, music journalist/OffBeat contributor Herman Fuselier selected 15 tracks showing where [...]
After 20 years in existence, the Soul Rebels furiously unleash a barrage of musicianship, originality, and range of accomplishment every bit as impressive and inspiring as today’s historically black college and university marching show bands from which the Rebels draw inspiration. For example, a version of the Eurythmics’ signature 1983 hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made [...]
The new Ani DiFranco record is the latest entry in DiFranco’s musical and lyrical view of the world and current events. Over the years, she has perfected her sound, and this record is a pristine example of that. Her guitar sounds tight chords with a heavy, yet not overwhelming emphasis on the lower range. Her [...]
reviewed together with James Booker’s Blues & Ragtime from New Orleans. There are around 15 James Booker albums on the market, but in fact the Piano Prince released only five LPs of music during his lifetime. Four of these five should be considered the very best of his work. The easy-to-find ones are New Orleans [...]
reviewed together with James Booker’s The Piano Prince of New Orleans. There are around 15 James Booker albums on the market, but in fact the Piano Prince released only five LPs of music during his lifetime. Four of these five should be considered the very best of his work. The easy-to-find ones are New Orleans [...]
[Updated] Michael Patrick Welch wrote our December cover story on Ratty Scurvics, and he thought the back half of In Time sounded like classic rock. I’d suggest a slight variation on that, that it sounds like what people wish classic rock sounded like. The big rock guitars have power, but they remain harsher, leaner, and [...]
Columbia Records signed Vin Bruce in 1952, making the 19-year-old the first Cajun to ever sign a contract with a major label. It was his beautiful French originals that attracted the record company, who recognized the potential of a Cajun country artist after Harry Choates garnered national acclaim with “Jole Blon” in 1946. Between 1952 [...]
