Customer Reviews

Acadie: Goldtop Edition (Dig)

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How do you pigeonhole this album? I mean, it has to land on some sort of musical genre at some point, but what, exactly, is that point? See, there's that disconnect between what you expect and what you get, and Lanois takes this rather simple album to a whole other level. Yeah, you could say this is a sort of a clone of Cajun music (which it is) with influences from all over the map and that would sort of explain some of what's happening here, but then there's this kind of folk thing going on. Reminds me of 'So' unplugged. Or Joni Mitchell or Laura Nyro, even. It's almost like he's shaking off the remnants of U2 to get something out of his system so he can move on.

Whatever it is, Lanois scores huge on this one. This is easily one of my personal top tens of all time, and I'm pretty old, so that covers some ground. My son, who is now 27, agrees with me on this. All of the songs are listenable, and sneaky in that they challenge you to listen a little more closely next time. This is one of those rare albums that men and women can like. Again, this is Lanois' gift: simplicity enfolds into genius.

My advice: download it, give it a few listens. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you, Daniel.

Lanois' legacy will increase over time, but this glimpse into his musical psyche in the late 80's while at the early pinnacle of his production career is gold. Coming off of U2's The Joshua Tree and Dylan's Oh Mercy following thereafter, this album is a master craftsman's dream. Dave Matthew's pays tribute to Lanois' mastery on his Live From Radio City Musical Hall DVD/cd in covering "The Maker" and "Still Water." Personally, my favorite gospel song of all time is "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", but "The Maker" gives it a run for it's money.