Beausoleil may be as synonymous with Cajun culture as Tasso ham, gumbo filé, and mudbugs, but the veteran shape-shifting Zydeco act is as adept at creating fusion food as it is traditional fare. Bandleader Michael Doucet's evenhanded fiddling and expressive, amiable voice lead the charge on Alligator Purse, the band's first for the Yep Roc label. Beausoleil flex their Cajun backbone on opener "Reel Cajun/452 North St. Joseph St.," one of a handful of straight-up bayou barnburners ("Carrière Zydeco," "Bosco Stomp") that are as timeless as they are electrifying, but it's the band's penchant for seamless genre-hopping that solidifies its well-deserved reputation as an American institution. Doucet and his small but formidable army's tasteful renderings of the blues ("Rouler et Tourner"), jazz ("Marie"), and old-timey country ("Little Darlin'") -- the latter featuring some high and lonesome crooning from Natalie Merchant -- always keep true to regional ingredients like accordion, Dixieland horns, and a steady Cajun backbeat, resulting in the kind of all-day street party that welcomes both purists and tourists with open arms, cold beer, and steaming plates of Louisiana cooking. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
Alligator Purse
01/20/2009 | Yep Roc Records
All Music Guide Review
Alligator Purse Track Listing
Credits of Alligator Purse
- Geoff Baer
- Video
- Natalie Merchant
- Vocals, Duet, Guest Appearance
- Rick Olivier
- Photography
- Michael Pillott
- Producer, Direction, Production Notes
- Mitchell Reed
- Fiddle, Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
- Andy Stein
- Sax (Baritone), Guest Appearance, Sax (Tenor)
- Jim Weider
- Dobro, Guitar (Electric), Guest Appearance
- Paul Antonell
- Engineer, Mixing
- Bill Bennett
- Monitor Engineer, Music Advisor
- Michael Tripplet
- Design
- Elihonai Walker
- Assistant
- Jimmy Breaux
- Accordion
- Bill Ware
- Percussion
- Tommy Alesi
- Drums
- Kenneth Cooke
- Cover Photo
- David Doucet
- Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Vocals
- David Glasser
- Mastering
- Garth Hudson
- Organ (Hammond), Guest Appearance
- Bill Keith
- Banjo, Guest Appearance
- Artie Traum
- Vocals (Background), Guest Appearance
- Happy Traum
- Vocals (Background), Guest Appearance
- John Sebastian
- Harmonica, Guest Appearance
- Roswell Rudd
- Trombone, Guest Appearance, Vocals (Background)
- Michael Doucet
- Fiddle, Guitar, Percussion, Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Lyric Translation, Octave Violin












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