I’ve not heard a lot of zydeco music in my life, except for some
scatterings of it on albums like Paul Simon’s
Graceland or some work by Buckwheat Zydeco. It’s not that I
don’t like it, it’s just that I’ve never really cultivated a taste
for it. (Keep in mind, I’m a native Chicagoan, who has rarely
ventured outside of his stomping grounds; travelling to New Orleans
– though it might be a beautiful city – would be the equivalent of
heading into the jungle for this timid white boy.)
At this point, a package from Rounder containing
Bayou Ruler, the latest release from Steve Riley and the
Mamou Playboys, arrives in the mailbox, giving me a chance to
broaden my musical taste buds a bit. While the band isn’t zydeco in
its purest form, this album still has enough quality performances
on it to satisfy both the purist and the novice.
Ultimately, it is the music on
Bayou Ruler that will be the key to its clicking with the
listeners – that is, unless you can speak French. Most of the
vocals on the disc are done in French – however, this almost seems
to add the mystery of zydeco music for me. It almost makes it seem
dark while maintaining a party atmosphere in the playing. A few
songs are performed in English – including “Let Me Know,” which
appears in French early on the album as “Laisse-moi
connaîre”.
Riley and crew mix in elements of rock (“Let Me Know”, “All For
The Better”) and blues (“Mama Told Papa”) into their music,
creating a mix that should draw the interest of many a listener.
(And although I honestly don’t think I’d know true Cajun music if
it came up to me and introduced itself, I can hear traces of it in
the music.) However, am I the only one to think that “Je suis pas
un couillon” sounds like music to a game or talk show? The uptempo
beat of almost all the songs and the inclusion of accordion signals
that Riley hasn’t forgotten the roots of zydeco, which he
continually pays tribute to.
There are touches of humor contained in
Bayou Ruler as well, such as the constant spoken claims to
the “throne” on “King Zydeco” (I swear, one of the voices sounds
like it was done by Droopy Dog). Even in the French, Riley and crew
throw enough humor in to balance some of the more dark lyrics.
Sample lyric from the translation of “J’ai été-z-au
bal”: “There are some who like brunettes / And others who like
blondes. / I’m not like that. / I like both.” (Can I get an “Amen”
here?)
So it sounds like everything on
Bayou Ruler is great? Well, not so fast there. Besides
allowing yourself enough time with the disc to develop an
appreciation for this genre, the album itself takes some time to
really discover the nuances of. You really won’t begin to develop a
true appreciation for the music contained herein with one listen –
and I doubt many people will have the time or patience to really
trying to crawl under this album’s skin.
The truth is, zydeco isn’t the easiest form of music to develop
an appreciation for. (I think the hardest is opera – and, frankly,
I can’t stand opera.) Riley and the Mamou Playboys do an admirable
effort in trying to win over a new crowd with
Bayou Ruler, and it is worth checking out if you’re just
curious about the genre. But if you’re a diehard zydeco fan, you
might not warm up to the merging of styles and cultures.
