Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music
| Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Various Artists | |
| Released | March 5, 2002 |
| Genre | Cajun, Zydeco |
| Length | 44:06 |
| Label | Vanguard |
| Producer | Ann Savoy |
Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music is an album of Cajun music by various pop and rock musical artists, released in 2002. It reached number 6 on the Billboard Top World Music chart and was nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 45th Grammy Awards.
History
Producer Ann Savoy's goal for Evangeline Made was to demonstrate the affection of popular artists for Cajun music.[1] She enlisted various pop performers along with members of BeauSoleil, her own group with her husband accordionist Marc Savoy and fiddler Michael Doucet of the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band as well as other musicians to "renew and extend Cajun tradition rather than simply re-create it."[2]
Vocal performances include two duets by Linda Ronstadt and Savoy, John Fogerty, Rodney Crowell, Patty Griffin, Nick Lowe, Maria McKee, and David Johansen. Each song is sung in French even though most of the artists don't speak the language. The two instrumental tracks do not identify the musicians performing.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| No Depression | (Favorable)[2] |
Evangeline Made was nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 45th Grammy Awards.
Music critic Richie Unterberger, writing for Allmusic, rated the album 4 of 5 stars, writing: "The production is understated and sympathetic, as it's neither hardcore Cajun music nor Cajun music that's been bleached into pop… Purists might find this something of a sellout, a dilution of the real and rawer thing for ears unaccustomed to the real deal. Perhaps they have viable points, but here's a fact which might be hard for them to face: this simply has much more variety, skillful singing, and thoughtful, pleasing production than most Cajun records do, without compromising the spirit of the music."[3]
Writing for No Depression, Don McLeese called the album "musical interplay so soulful and vibrant it transcends the language barrier." and avers the collection "honors the music not as a folk purist’s artifact, but as a living dynamic. Not one of the fourteen cuts seems less than a labor of love"[2]
Music critic Mike Warren reviewed the album for The Pitch and of the songs, wrote, "Because they're in French, and because they're sexy as hell, the songs have an air of sultry mystery that's part of the best Cajun music."[4]
Track listing
- "Vagabond Special" (Marc Savoy) – 2:56
- instrumental
- "La Chanson d'Une Fille de Quinze Ans (Song of a Fifteen Year Old Girl)" (Traditional, Ann Savoy, Marc Savoy) – 2:26
- featuring Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy
- "Diggy Liggy Lo" (J. D. Miller) – 3:22
- featuring John Fogerty
- "Je Veux Plus Te Voir (I Don't Want You Anymore)" (Belton Richard) – 3:31
- featuring Richard Thompson
- "Pa Janvier, Laisse Moi M'En Aller (Pa Janvier, Let Me Go)" (Traditional, Ann Savoy) – 3:54
- featuring Nancy Griffin
- "Les Flammes d'Enfer (The Flames of Hell)" (Austin Pitre) – 2:35
- featuring Richard Thompson
- "Ma Mule (My Mule)" (Traditional) – 3:24
- featuring David Johansen
- "Ma Blonde Est Partie (My Blonde Left)" (Traditional) – 2:35
- featuring Maria McKee
- "Blues de Bosco (Bosco Blues)" (Eddie Shuler) – 4:21
- featuring Rodney Crowell
- "O, Ma Chère 'Tite Fille (Oh,My Dear Little Girl)" (Cléoma Falcon, Ann Savoy) – 3:49
- featuring Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy
- "Valse de Balfa (Balfa Waltz)" (Will Balfa) – 2:56
- featuring Richard Thompson
- "Two Step de Prairie Soileau" (Traditional) – 4:03
- instrumental
- "Arrêtte Pas la Musique (Don't Stop the Music)" (George Jones) – 3:00
- featuring Nick Lowe
- "Tout un Beau Soir en Me Promenant (On a Beautiful Evening While ...)" (Traditional) – 3:12
- featuring Maria McKee
Personnel
- Linda Ronstadt – vocals, harmony vocals
- Ann Savoy – vocals, harmony vocals, fiddle, guitar
- John Fogerty – vocals, guitar
- Rodney Crowell – vocals, guitar
- Patty Griffin – vocals
- Nick Lowe – vocals
- Maria McKee – vocals
- David Johansen – vocals, harmonica
- Christine Balfa – guitar, triangle
- Richard Thompson – vocals, guitar
- Jimmy Breaux – accordion
- Austin Broussard – drums
- Sam Broussard – guitar, slide guitar
- Mike Burch – drums
- Michael Doucet – fiddle
- David Greeley – fiddle
- Kevin Wimmer – fiddle
- David Doucet – guitar
- Jane Vidrine – guitar
- Rodney Miller – steel guitar
- Kevin Dugas – drums, triangle
- David Egan – piano
- Brian Koonin – guitar, cardboard box, toy organ
- Sonny Landreth – slide guitar
- Dirk Powell – accordion, bass, fiddle
- Mitchell Reed – bass
- Marc Savoy – accordion
- Wilson Savoy – piano
Production notes:
- Ann Savoy – producer, arranger, liner notes, photography
- Steve Buckingham – executive producer
- Marc Savoy – arranger
- David Johansen – arranger
- Brian Koonin – arranger, engineer
- Tom Rothrock – engineer
- Scott Ardoin – engineer
- Jim Brady – engineer
- Erich Gobel – engineer
- Edward Haber – engineer
- Nick Hannan – engineer
- David Rachou – engineer
- Kevin Lacey – engineer
- Tony Daigle – engineer, mastering, mixing
- Jim Bessman – liner notes
- Jennie Carey – production assistant
- John Fago – photography
- Chris Gabrin – photography
- Jim Akin – photography
- Miranda Penn Turin – photography
References
- ↑ Hilburn, Robert (March 3, 2002). "To Cajun Music, With Love From a Pop-Rock Lineup". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- 1 2 3 McLeese, Don (March–April 2002). "Review: Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music". No Depression.
- 1 2 Unterberger, Richie. "Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ Warren, Mike (May 16, 2002). "Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music". The Pitch. Retrieved January 30, 2011.