Cajunization

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