Track Listing

1. Christmas Bayou - Beausoleil
2. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Beausoleil
3. It's Christmastime in Louisiana - Johnnie Allan
4. Joy to the World - Jambalaya
5. Deck the Halls - Michael Doucet
6. Please Come Home for Christmas - Belton Richard
7. Little Drummer Boy - Michael Doucet
8. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Cajun Gold
9. Blue Christmas - Belton Richard
10. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Cajun Gold
11. Bonne Ann�e - Michael Doucet
12. Jingle Bell Rock - Jambalaya
13. Silent Night - Jambalaya
14. Auld Lang Syne - Michael Doucet
15. Jingle Bells [#] - Harry Fontenot
16. What Christmas Means to Me [#] - Camey Doucet
17. Up on the Housetop [#] - Jambalaya

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148153 in Music
• Released on: 1992-09-08
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
You probably haven't traveled enough if you've never heard Cajun music, and there's a good bet you've never really two-stepped around the Christmas tree until you've two-stepped to either a Beausoleil or Cajun Gold Christmas classic like those found on this 17-track compilation. Alligator Stomp features fiddles, triangles, and accordions a-blazin' along with the French-sung carols and other classics. Henry Fontenot turns in a decidedly different kind of "Jingle Bells," while Belton Richard belts out the holiday blues standard "Please Come Home for Christmas" in his delectable Cajun tongue. Michael Doucet, the ace fiddler for Beausoleil, however, steals some of the thunder here with a charged number, "Bonne Année," a performance piece that highlights his fiddle playing and singing. As they say down on the Bayou, "Bon temp rouler!" --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

Great music for the holidays!
"Cajun Christmas" provides a fresh interpretation of many Holiday standards and a smattering of Louisiana originals that are true to the spirit of the season. If you are tired of the traditional arrangements and appalled at dogs and cats massacring your favorites, this CD is the perfect antidote. Two strong tracks by Beausoleil, "Christmas Bayou" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" lead off the compilation, the latter interpreted as a Cajun waltz. "Joy to the World" is a bouncy, upbeat combo of fiddle and accordian that will lighten the hearts of the most fervent Scrooge. It's hard not to dance to "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls." The layers of instruments and the upbeat tempos create a celebratory tone in these tunes that has disappeared through repetition of the more familiar arrangements. The final song, "Auld Lang Syne," is the best. Michael Doucet starts out with a slow, mellow fiddle but soon turns from the remembrance of the past year to the anticipation of the New Year with a rollicking finish that compels you to bounce around the house.

While all the tracks are strong contributions, the greatest value of this CD is the regeneration of spirit one feels. The old songs seem new and the cumulative effect is to take some of the cynicism out of the increasingly commercialized season. As an added plus, kids seem to respond to the music, which can open up all kinds of discussions about music, history, and of course, Christmas.

Awesome find for 1999
This is a MUST for anyone who can get a little cranky around the holidays from stress. I haven't played it for anyone whose feet and hands could remain still as they listened. This will be a "first grab" out of my CD collection for many years to come.

Joyeux Noel!
This CD features Cajun musicians performing Christmas songs. About half the songs are instrumentals, with the other half being sung in either English or Cajun French. This is happy, fun music, featuring an emphasis on accordions and fiddles. All the music here is great. My personal favorite is Belton Richard's "Please Come Home For Christmas", sung in Cajun French, which is the best version of that song that I have ever heard. This CD is sure to make any Christmas party swing.