Mixed bag
Just Another Linguist | Indianapolis, Indiana | 06/07/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This CD makes me miss the days of vinyl - if it was an LP it could have one terrific side and one forgettable side.Daigrepont spent time in Nashville before coming home to Louisiana to record Cajun music, and it shows; the recordings are a lot slicker than you'll find on other Cajun albums - "Laissez Faire" even breaks into an a capella chorus (not that it hurts any). Daigrepont is a terrific songwriter, and some of his originals ("La Valse de la Riviere Rouge", "Disco et Fais Do Do", and "Laissez Faire" in particular) are as good as the standards he covers. He has range, too; he's equally convincing as a reformed gambler, a displaced California Cajun, a cheating husband, and a jealous lover. (Not that it's impossible to be all those things at once ...)However, the last few songs on the album sound as though they were written for the Louisiana Board of Tourism, complete with mindless boosterism and annoying ad jingle tunes. "We're going to spice your life with Tabasco ... we're going to make a Cajun out of you," writes Daigrepont. Whatever. I hope he got money for the product placement. "Frisco Zydeco" and "Stir Up the Roux" are just as shameless.If you like Daigrepont (I do), you'll want this album. If you just want to check out his music, you might start with his _Petit Cadeau_ instead."
A wonderful cross-sectional representation of Cajun Music
Sean Dupont | Aledo. Texas | 08/18/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even non-Cajuns can enjoy this collection of lively tunes, some traditionally Cajun, and others with more modern influences of blues, rock and zydeco. Even the songs with sad lyrics (if you can speak French) sound happy, and the accents I hear in the vocals remind me of the times of my youth I spent in Avoyelles Parish."