Search - Zachary Richard :: Louisiana Spice: 25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records

One of the best deals you will find

David J. Rosen | Birmingham, AL USA | 07/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While label compilations often come across as self-serving and/or limited, this nifty collection avoids that pitfall. By including both a New Orleans blues collection and a Zydeco/Cajun collection, "Louisiana Spice" manages to give an adequate picture of the various modern Blues and Cajun styles that you will find throughout Louisiana. In fact, if you are looking at the full equation of variety + quality in Louisiana music, you're not going to find many better collections out there. Better ones definitely exist, but factor in price and it becomes apparent that this is one of the best deals on any type music you will ever find. "Louisian Spice" is very professionally put together. Most 2-CD-for-the-price-of-1-real-cheap-CD deals (such as those you find in the budget bins of Musiclands and Camelots) will usually give you a *very* inadequate picture of that artist's or genre's music, but it is excusable because the price is right. With "Louisiana Spice," the price is right and so is the quality--a priceless combination in budget packages. The main reason I picked up this CD was because of Marcia Ball's "That's Enough of that Stuff" and the Rebirth & Wild Magnolia duet performance of "Shoo-Fly"--two of the most energetic performances ever put on record. I've always wanted to get both of the original albums those numbers appear on just for those songs alone, but when I saw them together on the same album, plus an excellent array of classic Louisiana artists such as James Booker, Tuts Washington, and Johnny Adams, the decision of whether or not to buy became very easy. I consider "That's Enough. . ." and "Shoo-fly" to be two of the major peaks in the modern era of New Orleans music (as do many other fans). Thus, as they say, "no music collection is complete without them." While I've always enjoyed Cajun and Zydeco music, I do not enjoy it enough to buy CDs from either genre (at least no song or album has caught my ear enough *yet*). However, as a huge fan of Louisiana music and everything that has come out of it and into it, I recognized that this left a huge hole in my collection. This album presented the perfect opportunity to fill that hole, all the while buying the album principly for other reasons. In other words, the second album serves as an excellent bonus for my musical tastes. Perhaps there are many others out there who can relate to this idea. Both newcomers to Louisiana music and long-time connoisseurs alike should be more than satisfied with this CD. As it did with me, it offers the opportunity to fill many holes in your own collections, as well as those that you did not even know you were missing. Word of caution: while this double CD will only cost you around 10 bucks, the paths to which it leads you will undoubtedly cost you more money in the future. That, in the end, is the litmus test for all music compilations."

25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 01/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It may seem odd, but Massachusetts-based Rounder Records has become the pre-eminent label recording the music of Louisiana. From such classic New Orleans artists as Professor Longhair, Johnny Adams and Irma Thomas, to Cajun stalwarts D.L. Menard, Bruce Daigrepont and Steve Riley, to the Kings of Zydeco, Boozoo Chavis and Beau Jocque, Rounder is dedicated to playing its part in continuing this rich tradition of joyous and unique music. This budget priced double CD features these artists, as well as Marcia Bell, Champion Jack Dupree, James Booker, The Balfa Brothers, Jimmy C. Newman, Buckwheat Zydeco, Beausoleil and others, making this one of the finest and most comprehensive colllections of Louisiana music available."