Search - Wild Tchoupitoulas :: Wild Tchoupitoulas

Lightning Strikes!

Eric V. Jung | Bear Valley, CA United States | 12/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every now and then the planets line up just right and we get a confluence of fragile artistic elements. This album is like that, a beautiful soap bubble that dazzled with the rainbow colors of the Tchoupitoulas' costumes, floated above the crowd, and burst, leaving the Neville Brothers band as the residue. The light touch of the arrangements, where spaces are as important as hits, provides the perfect setting for the happiest, huskiest harmonies. The rough-edged street singing of the Landrys is a perfect mix with the polished studio vocals of the Nevilles, who just happened to be related to the Landrys. This was a rare unrepeatable combination. Knowing that the lyrics are rooted in reality, the drinking and fighting tradition of the New Orleans Indians in which the Landrys participated, gives the whole thing an extra dose of credibility. It's not only one of the best albums to listen and dance to, it represents a unique burst of American culture, a lightning strike that could never be reconstructed. Let this album run in your car for a week and you'll know all the words and be singing with the Big Chief!"