Silver Jubilee: The Best of Zachary Richard 1973-1998
Zachary Richard is arguably the missing link connecting Cajun and English-language Louisiana music. He sings and writes in both French and English, two-steps like a rocker, and is equally comfortable on accordion and guitar. He's sort of a bayouBruce Springsteen, too: in addition to belting out dance tunes based on such traditional local topics as filé gumbo, letting thebons temps roulet, and crawfish, he's capable of heartfelt songs about emotional anguish, poverty, and the great white French-Canadian north. This CD--on which he's accompanied by such musical friends as fiddlerMichael Doucet, pianistDr. John, and slide guitaristSonny Landreth--distills the cream of his 14-album career, including an early-'70s folk track from his previously lost first album.--Richard Gehr