Michael Doucet w, Beausoleil - Bayou Deluxe: The Best of Michael Doucet & Beausoleil

Beausoleil may have originated as Cajun purists, but Cajun music itself has always been a rich, creolized mixture combining Southern country and folk music with traditional songs from France's Brittany region. Revealing the band's own increasingly wide-ranging stylistic borrowings over the course of the 15-year period it encompasses, Bayou Deluxe includes everything from raving remakes of some early material ("Le Jig Français") to a mazurka from the Seychelles ("Chez Seychelles") to a French duet with Richard Thompson ("Sur le Pont de Lyon"). It also includes plenty of the incandescent two-steps and waltzes, as well as a heartbreaking ballad or two. --Richard Gehr Amazon.com essential recording

excellent Cajun group

Excellent intro to cajun songs or a good addition to a mardi-gras party . They have lively and upbeat music with one of my favorite:"travailler c'est trop dur". March 8, 2007

Good listening music

I bought this for a Cajun dinner party. It provided a good background of Cajun music with some variety without being "over the top". I have since listened to it as part of a mix of music via random selection on my CD player and have enjoyed it that way as well. January 3, 2007

My First "True" Cajun CD

I listened to, and subsequently purchased this recording after reading another Amazon reviewer's review of a contemporary Zydeco CD. The reviewer said that he/she liked the Zydeco recording, but ordinarily preferred traditional Cajun music, such as that of Michael Doucet. This is great--wonderful upbeat tunes with great vocals. It's fun to try to decipher the lyrics, and it reminds me of learning to read Shakespeare for the first time. Once you get used to it, it's fairly easy. If you're a fan of the various Zydeco groups and haven't yet discovered Doucet, check it out. March 22, 2006

An Excellent CD To Introduce People To Beausoleil

Beausoleil has cranked out many albums over their existence. This particular album encompasses a fifteen year period in which we see them grow from traditional rebels to modern masters of mixing genres. You'll hear a little bit of everything on this disc. From heavy French and Caribbean influence to good time rock, Beausoleil ties it all together nicely with the fiddle play of Michael Doucet. I've personally dubbed his style "lazy fiddle," and I have no intentions of that sounding derogatory. I love to listen to Doucet bend and peel notes off of his fiddle.

Some of my favorite tunes on this album are "Le Jig Francais," "Travallier, C'est Trop Dur," and "Je M'Endors." Everything else here is also very wonderful.

This band is one of the best modern Cajun groups around, but don't expect them to stick to the standards. They often tear off into uncharted territory with their music, and for that, I have to commend them. They've managed to keep an artform alive that seems to fade quicker as the years go by. Luckily, they have managed to introduce the younger folks to the roots of our culture and have cultivated quite the interest in these older masters such as Dennis McGee and the Balfa Brothers.

Introduce Cajun music to your friends via this album, but be sure to back it up with the aforementioned legends and greats such as Nathan Abshire and Joe Falcon and throw in some of the younger acts such as the Lost Bayou Ramblers and Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys. It won't hurt to put in a little Creole flavor with Amede Ardoin and Canray Fontenot, either.

Highly recommended. November 22, 2005

Ex took CD, this is my second

Ever since I saw Belizaire the Cajun and fell in love with Armand Assante, I have been in love with Beausoleil/Michael Ducet. The Music is wonderfully Cajun and my favoriet songs from other soundtracks are on this CD. When I lost it to my ex I knew I was going to have to get another because of all the wonderful music. I never thought I would fall in love with a style of music like Cajun, but Doucet is the best by far. True Cajun stylings and the French Canadien lyrics make this CD the best of all the Beausoleil compilation CDs. I have others....I probably will own more. A must buy for someone looking to dip their musical ears into something as unique as Cajun. April 19, 2002

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