Music
Chris Ardoin and NuStep, M.V.P. (NuStep4Lyfe)
Hailing a new release as an artistic and commercial breakthrough is always risky, but in the case of Chris Ardoin and NuStep’s sophomore effort, that may be the best description […]
Wayne Toups & Zydecajun, Reflections of the Past (D&R)
A traditional album from progressive Cajun roots rocker Wayne Toups shouldn’t come as a total surprise. After all, he started his career playing trad before fusing it with contemporary influences […]
Richard LeBouef, Longneck Vacation (D&R)
Richard LeBouef calls this his “Meet Richard LeBouef” album, which is funny considering his handful of recordings and the country smash hit “Empty Glass” that dominated the Acadiana airwaves in […]
Cleat Wooley, Here On the Bayou (Independent)
Despite being a Vietnam vet and an actor in the upcoming indie flick Here on the Bayou, Wooley’s biggest claim to fame may be that he’s the only music major […]
Racines, Racines (Swallow)
Steve Riley gave it a lot of thought. If he were to form a band outside his venerable Mamou Playboys aggregation, who of his favorite musicians would be in it? […]
Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Road Runners, You Got Me! (Independent)
With six albums in seven years, you would think that by now Leroy Thomas would be running on fumes. But as evidenced here, he continues to deliver rough-edged, hardcore zydeco […]
Bluerunners, Live at the Triple Door (Independent)
Usually when a band has been around for close to two decades, there’s at least one live album popping up in their discography. A live recording was never on the […]
Zydeco Soiree: Leon Chavis and the Zydeco Flames, The Heat Is On (Indepedent)
When you’re kin to a former reigning zydeco monarch like Boozoo Chavis, there’s always pressure to uphold the family name. Though that’s something Leon Chavis has never forgotten, the good […]
Kira Viator and Bayou Beat, Sticking to My Roots (MTE)
Nineteen-year-old Kira Viator has been pumping accordion since age seven and has released three albums along the way. With seven years between her last and latest, she ends the silence […]
Smithfield Fair, Walking Through This World (Stevenson Productions)
The latest from Baton Rouge’s Smithfield Fair is bound to raise a few eyebrows among its kilted constituency. A core component of the band’s identity, the Scottish-themed material, has been […]
