Track Listing

1. Terre de Mon Grandpëre (My Grandfather's Land)
2. Cajunization Blues
3. Happy One-Step
4. Amour Poisonné (Poison Love)
5. Reine de Coeur (The Queen of Hearts)
6. Cubano Bayou
7. Chanson Pour Tommy (Songs for Tommy)
8. Zarico Boogie
9. Recherche d'Acadie (In Search of Acadie)
10. Nuits Maui (Maui Nights)
11. JusqÝ la Nuit (Until the Night)
12. Blues de Chaleur (Hot Blues)
13. One-Step Choupique
14. Atchafalaya Pipeline

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111648 in Music
• Released on: 1999-03-16
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Just as the displaced Acadians moved from present-day Nova Scotia to the verdant Louisiana bayou in the 18th century and went on to "Cajunize" the region, so too do Beausoleil seek to color an array of musical styles on Cajunization. There's "Cajunization Blues," "Cubano Bayou," and even a surf ditty, "Atchafalaya Pipeline." If the idea of taking Cajun rhythmic and instrumental flavors and dolloping them across musical styles sounds alarming--even in theory--consider the impact Afro-Cuban rhythms have had on jazz and pop since the 1930s, and then listen to what Doucet and company do here.

Virtually nothing on Cajunization sounds out of place. The blues sound solid and the surf absolutely explosive, so much so that when the band jumps to "Happy One-Step," which bounces like more customary Beausoleil fare, you look forward to their return to a globetrotter's ethos. "Cubano Bayou" capitalizes on the presence of Billy Ware's hand percussion and guest Danny DeVillier's steel drums. Likewise, Jerry Douglas's Dobro and Hawaiian guitar sound like fascinating shadows aside Doucet's colorful violin. And where Dennis McGee's compositional influence and tunes are deeply embedded in Beausoleil's overall aesthetic, his son Gerry's guitar lends "Atchafalaya Pipeline" a touch of the Ventures, the younger McGee's fabled surf band. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Beausoleil's Best Work to Date
Cajunization is an outstanding achievement by Michael Doucet and Beausoleil. The songs are a mix of styles that have been "cajunized", resulting in a truely unique sound. "L'Amour Poisonne" is a particularly dynamic song. This work is brilliant, sophisticated, yet fun to listen to over and over. If you could have only one Beausoleil CD, this is the one you should have!

A most amazing collection of new cajun compositions!
BeauSoleil always brings new insights into their cd productions, but this one really touches the heart and soul. "Chanson pour Tommy" is stunning, as "La Terre de mon grand père" and "Recherche d'Acadie" are historically important. I hope they do more albums like this. From a hometown fan.

Wonderful!
Just saw these guys last week on Maui, they were great! Bought the CD at the show, it's really a wonderful CD, imho. Nice mixture of traditional cajun with some jazz, blues and a touch of cuban. I love each and every track, shows their versatility as a band. Sure, the cajun dance songs are fun, but it's nice to hear them expand the genre a bit, something they do very well on this CD.