A joyous Cajun dance party on CD
This young Lafayette, Louisiana quintet moves to the Lionsgate label for their third album, and packs along all the accordion- and fiddle-based flavors of their earlier releases. Though they play traditional Cajun music, in both covers and original compositions, they play with a joy that feeds off their youthful sense of glee. Where many Cajun records sound like studio-polished versions of an act’s live show, the Pine Leaf Boys bring the swing and the foibles of the stage into the studio. The result is a disc that captures the verve of a band playing for dancers rather than for microphones. Their vocals offer a rawness that holds on to the music’s front porch seed; their rhythms roll and sway as if propelled by bodies swirling at a fais do-do. There are two-steps and waltzes, and the upbeat original “J’Suis Gone Pour Me Saouler†salutes New Orleans’ influence on the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. As much as they revere past legends of Cajun music, the Pine Leaf Boys bring their own round of refreshments to the party. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com] 