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Album Review
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Aspen Times, Album Review >>
Zydeco music and melancholy emotions don't naturally go together; the music, driven by upbeat accordions, was designed for party time. But the Louisiana coast, where the music comes from, has been through a lot in the last decade, and sadness now seems like the natural expression. The cover of Steve Riley's “Grand Isle” is a bird dripping in oil; inside, it states simply, “April 20, 2010, 4.9 million barrels.” Riley, a Cajun singer and accordionist, opens the album with “Dancing Without Understanding,” and while the song on its surface is about communicating with a lady who speaks a different language (the song is in both English and French), the line “Why is it that I'm singing?” has greater resonance. Especially when, later on, Riley sings “This Is the Time for Change” and “Waltz of Sorrow.” “Too Much” puts a fine point on the overriding emotion here: The beat chugs forward, but Riley's words are pained: “Now it's all ruined, it's no use to cry/ This time is enough, and it's too late to forgive.” 02/18/11 >> go there
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