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Editorial Reviews

Produced by Doug Kershaw and recorded at Wind Mill Studios in Louisiana, this brief sampler of Acadian two-step dances manages to sound modern and funky while still adhering to the traditional side of Cajun music. Kershaw himself offers up two tracks here, a run-through of the unofficial "Cajun National Anthem," the ageless "Jole Blon" (a paean to blondes everywhere), and the album closer, "On the Bayou." Ray Abshire (nephew of the legendary Nathan Abshire) & the Old Tymers Cajun Band turn in stately and unruffled versions of two traditional Louisiana songs, "Kaplan Waltz" and "Bayou Noir (Black Bayou)." The real highlights of the set, though, come from a newly reunited Basin Brothers. Led by the searing twin fiddle leads of Al Berard and Faren Serrete, the Basin Brothers bring an intangible wild and dark edge to "New Acadians" and "Attakapas Trail," while infusing the album opener, "Tee Tee Lee," with undeniable charm. Berard also does a beautiful and haunting version of the ancient "Belle," a song collected by Alan Lomax in the 1930s. As a quick sampler of the more tradition-oriented side of contemporary Cajun music, this collection does its job, but its brief length keeps it as no more than an introduction to this wonderful dance genre. Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

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