Creole Bred: Tribute to Creole & Zydeco

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 11, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B000025JJ5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,491 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It is not surprising that scholar-musician-producer Ann Savoy's follow-up to her Grammy-nominated Evangeline Made also features a star-studded roster, some of whom appear incongruous in such a setting. Admittedly, Savoy¹s visceral understanding of Louisiana's proud and hardy Cajun tradition is sufficient to keep the majority of the participants toeing the line and even sounding reasonably authentic. The question is: why repeat this formula? Yes, the album will probably attract new listeners to the style. Yes, Brooklyn-born 1980s pop icon Cyndi Lauper bows gracefully to the idiom and sings convincingly in French. Yes, fans of the genre will likely purchase the album out of curiosity, thus sparking endless dinner table discussions pro or con. But if the Tom Tom Club is the sole complete crayfish-out-of-water, that the home team consistently makes the most indelible impression must surely mean something. And finally, yes, 45 minutes is too short for a full-priced CD. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ann Savoy's Done it Again, May 18, 2004

By 

Pip Smith (Fredrick, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creole Bred: Tribute to Creole & Zydeco (Audio CD)

Ann Savoy has done it again. The follow up album to Savoy's previously released "Evangeline Made" is nothing short of perfection. "Creole Bred: A Tribute to Creole and Zydeco" is a wonderful collection of Creole and Zydeco music performed by an eclectic and incredibly talented group of musicians. Some of the artists featured on this album include Taj Mahal, Tom Tom Club, David Hidalgo and Cyndi Lauper. What I loved about this album was how each artist fused their own musical styling into classic Creole and Zydeco songs. Some of my favorites include the Tom Tom Club performing "Only the Strong Survive" and the blues infused version of "Baby Please Don't Go" performed by Darick Campbell, Phillip Campbell and Curley Taylor. This album is fun and uplifting and a real treat for anyone who is a fan of Creole and Zydeco.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Zydeco album, May 21, 2004

By 

J Lee Harshbarger (Ypsilanti, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creole Bred: Tribute to Creole & Zydeco (Audio CD)

So what happened to Cyndi Lauper after "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and her later '80s pop hits? And how about Tom Tom Club, with their '80s underground dance music? What, they're doing Zydeco???

Yes, I was surprised to see two songs by Cyndi Lauper, one by Tom Tom Club, and one by Michelle Shocked on a Zydeco album. I never imagined them doing such music (but as soon as I saw Cyndi Lauper's name, I thought, "But of course--her voice is perfect for this music!"), but here it is, pure Zydeco, no crossover stuff (except MAYBE Tom Tom Club).

This is Louisiana music! The liner notes compare Cajun music to Zydeco, saying Cajun music "is created by the white, French speaking descendents of the Acadians." In contrast, the music on this album comes from "the French speaking Afro-Americans whose music, when urbanly based, is called Zydeco, and creole if rurally based. Zydeco evolved from many influences--country Cajun tunes, African rhythms, rhythm and blues from the radio, and field hollers."

My interest in Zydeco is no more than occasionally being in the mood for it, or enjoying it at a blues festival, so I am not a connoisseur of the music and thus cannot judge this in comparison to other Zydeco albums. But as someone who just occasionally listens to the music, I definitely enjoy this album. (I can't believe I'm enjoying music so much with accordians in it!) There's only one song on the album that I don't care for ("Baby Please Don't Go").

This to me is festival music, something to have a great time to. If you don't have any Zydeco albums and think you might be interested in trying out the music, perhaps you might find this album as enjoyable as I do.