Ayeeee! “Dominos” is the tenth release from Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. Nine of them are on the reputable Rounder Records label. Steve Riley is a very talented Cajun accordionist and fiddler. David Greely, also a fiddler, is a founding member of the band too. The other members are Kevin Dugas (drums, triangle), Brazos Huval (bass) and Sam Broussard (guitars). Steve Riley grew up in the small Louisiana town of Mamou where French is spoken on the street. He plays a single-row diatonic instrument made by his cousin, accordionist Marc Savoy. He also plays a triple-row accordion. David Greely grew up near Baton Rouge, served as an apprentice to Dewey Balfa, and has studied and toured area rich in Acadian history from where his mother’s family, the Thériots, come from. I wish he would’ve included some of his fine saxophone playing on “Dominos.”
   With many releases under their belts, this exceptional band from Louisiana has been very prolific and popular over the years. They present some excellent dancehall music that is comprised mainly of two-steps and waltzes. The 24-page CD booklet includes all the French lyrics (and English translations). The songs have straightforward messages which are easy to comprehend like “I’m working really hard, I’m working as a day laborer. When I collect my week’s pay, All I think of is spending it” from “La vie d’un vieux garcon” (The Bachelor’s Life). That song comes from the canon D.L. Menard, a preservationist of a pure Cajun sound. If you think the lyrics are all about partying, there’s also a sad element imparted in minor key on “Marie mouri” (Marie Has Died), a haunting piece with lyrics from a poem by a Louisiana slave named Pierre. About a half of the album is their own high-stepping original material. The remainder are covers from D.L. Menard, Denis McGee, Canray Fontenot, Nolan Dugas, and Slim Doucet.
   True to a more traditional style such as that of the Balfa Brothers, this band keeps their sound dominated by fiddle and accordion. While some other Cajun bands are being influenced by rock , R&B and blues, the guys on this album are passionate about Cajun tradition. At the same time, they’ve created a sound of their own for people who want to boogie from the bayous into the 21st Century. Akin to Belton Richard and the Musical Aces, there are a few country and rock ingredients in the Mamou Playboys’ gumbo.
   After cutting a bean on a song like “Coulee Rodair” and thinking you have this group pegged, they serve up an a cappella rendition of “Les clefs de la prison” (The Keys to the Prison), a song which Alan Lomax recorded Elita Huffpauir singing in 1934. Country influences are most apparent in a beautiful waltz written by drummer Kevin Dugas’ father, Nolan Dugas. “Tu peux cogner” (Keep A-Knockin’) is a Cajun version of a song from Texan western swinger Milton Brown. David Greely’s instrumental “Ramificajuns” even has a bluegrass flavor that reminds me of a upbeat fiddle tune like “Billy in the Lowground.” The album closes with Sam Broussard’s “Riviere de temps” (River of Time) which dispels any myths about the simplicity of Cajun music. I like his observation that “A hard head has its value, It holds the family together…” Many of the band’s extended family and friends are shown in the album’s cover photograph. After the song ends, we hear Steve Riley and his grandfather from a 1975 recording.
   Flip the disc over and you are also treated to a DVD that has interviews with band members, as well as performances of four selections. That’s right, folks. This is one of those new high-tech (and rather costly to produce) 2-sided discs with both CD and DVD.
   Together since 1988, their gumbo is upbeat and spirited dance music. With a very similar and successful band formula found on their Grammy-nominated 2003 “Bon Reve” release (Rounder 11661-6112-2), “Dominos” captures the heart, soul and groove of Cajun music. Proponents and among the leaders of the Cajun revival, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are both preservationists and innovators who balance roots conformity with contemporary creativity. Sounds to me like their acquiescence to tradition, mixed with a little heterodoxy, has simply allowed these ambassadors to create their own strong signature sound.

Reviewed By - Joe Ross, Roseburg, Oregon
Submitted Music Industry Reviewer

   Literally translated, zydeco means “green bean” (evolving from the French “haricot” or snapbean), but the term is used to denote the snappy, upbeat, syncopated dance music of Louisiana’s black Creole residents. The evolution of zydeco has resulted in a multi-cultural gumbo, reflecting the background of southern Louisiana’s French-speaking Creole population. Zydeco’s roots in Cajun music are very apparent, but you’ll also notice the influences of reggae, calypso, country, blues, Caribbean and rock. The soul music influence is best represented in Otis Redding’s “Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa.” The accordion is front and center, and Zydeco also has electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and rubboard. With the support of the Rounder label, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas have achieved national (and international) popularity along with such Zydeco artists as Boozoo Chavis, Rockin’ Dopsie, Queen Ida, Buckwheat Zydeco, Terrance Simien, Sam Brothers, John Delafose, Canray Fontenot, and others.
   Nathan Williams, Sr. mainly uses a piano accordion, but he’s also credited for playing the triple-row accordion that would be a “single action” 31-button accordion which provides a different note on the push and pull of the bellows. Although not identified in the liner notes, the songs with the more unique stacatto sound would be the ones on which Nathan is using the button accordion. Although he grew up in a Creole-speaking home in St. Martinville, Nathan sings in English, and lyrics are included in the CD jacket. Many of the songs refer to their Zydeco music and “My Zydeco” says it best -- it’ll “set your soul on fire, make you wanna move, make you wanna groove … it’s like white lightnin’ y’all.” The band is tight, and the music is fun, spirited, infectious, and danceable…. “like a hot toddy!” Guitarist Dennis Paul Williams is Nathan's brother. A famous painter, his art graces the album’s cover and tray card. Keyboardist Nathan Williams Jr. is studying music at the Univ. of South Louisiana, and he fronts his own band. Rubboard player Mark “Chuck” Williams is a cousin who has been with the band since day one. Bassist Robert LeBlanc has been a Zydeco Cha Cha for at least five years, and drummer Herman “Rat” Brown played with Buckwheat Zydeco for many years.
   Compared to Cajun music, these guys seem to prefer faster tempos, more syncopated and heavy rhythms, simplified melodies, and more influence from R&B and soul music. Williams attributes King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier as a major influence. Nearly an hour long, this generous set underlines the band’s ebullient, rocking style. Some songs (e.g. “Old Man’s Darling” or “Your Love Lasts As Long As Your Money”) could be perceived as being more rock or blues (with accordion) than Zydeco, but “Hang it High, Hang it Low” has plenty of energy nonetheless. “Do It Now” and the title cut come across to me as the better funky zydeco grooves. The band is very prolific with many releases during the last two decades. Definitely rock’em-sock’em original music, I guess I was hoping for a few more stylistic innovations in the genre from them. Some of the songs (and especially lyrics) come across as just a little too basic. The musical journey is still a bunch of fun, though. “I Was Born At Night (But Not Last Night)” indicates that these guys have been around, and they know the ropes. They’d also like you to come and boogie along. Let the good times roll!

Reviewed By - Joe Ross, Roseburg, Oregon
Submitted Music Industry Review