Parlez-Nous a Boire

by BeauSoleil, Michael Doucet

Overview

Vocalist and fiddler extraordinaire Michael Doucet's group Beausoleil has long been one of the best and best-known performers of Louisiana roots music. The group draws on Cajun (a hybrid of American country and traditional French folk songs) and zydeco (a hybrid of Cajun and R&B) with the respect of traditionalists but with enough vigor and inventiveness to make the music jump to life. Though some Beausoleil releases experiment with modernizing the music, adding electric instruments and contemporary production flourishes, Parlez-Nous a Boire sticks close to the source. Ballads like "Mercredi Soir Passe" and two-steps such as "Sue" and "La Rue Canal," sweetened by lilting accordion and fiddle melodies, evoke an age-old musical tradition of acoustic back-porch music-making. Drums, triangle, and spoons add percussive texture to the more uptempo reels and jigs, but the predominant mood of the album is subdued (especially in comparison to the band's rave-up party discs such as Bayou Cadillac). [Later versions include bonus cuts from the same sessions and additional tracks from Beausoleil's first Arhoolie album, making this a fine collection of traditional folk music.]

Product Details

Release Date:	12/01/1993
Label:	ARHOOLIE RECORDS
UPC:	0096297032220

Tracks

1. Le Jig Francais
2. Voyage au Mariage
3. Courtableu
4. La Rue Canal
5. Paquet d' Epingles
6. Valse de Grand Meche
7. Mercredi Soir Pass¿¿
8. Sue
9. Reels Cadien
10. Chanson d'Acadie
11. Pierrot Grouillette et Mamselle Josette
12. Ma Douce Amie
13. Parlez-Nous a Boire
14. Your Mama Threw Me Out
15. Robin's Two-Step
16. Acadina Blues
17. Midland Two-Step
18. Le Bozo Two-Step

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Michael Doucet   Primary Artist,Fiddle,Guitar,Vocals
BeauSoleil   Primary Artist
Billy Ware   Drums,Spoons,Triangle
Tommy Alesi   Drums
David Doucet   Guitar,Vocals
Chris Strachwitz   Recorder
Errol Verret   Accordion
Tommy Comeaux   Mandolin
Robert Vignaud   Bass
Annick Colbert   Recorder

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Ben Sandmel   Liner Notes
John A. Lomax   Composer
Wallace "Cheese" Reed   Composer
Sam Morgan   Composer
Mark Miller   Engineer
Octa Clark   Composer
Alan Lomax   Composer
Chris Strachwitz   Producer
Michael Doucet   Composer,Producer
Wayne Pope   Artwork
Phil Gould   Photography
Barry Jean Ancelet   Translation,Transcription,Song Translation