Waiting for the Sky...
Take a blues voice with plenty of soul. Add four hot, tight musicians on accordion, doboro, mandolin, slide fuzz guitar, acoustical guitar, drums, wash board and bass.Mix in a variety of musical styles from traditional modern jazz, rock and roll (you know, that Elvis and Chuck Berry sound) with a dash of progressive rock, a lot of country flavor, a little bit of SKA and Reggae here and there, just to add some color and variety.Put all of this all into a big pot with a generous supply of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Turn up the heat and bring this mixture to a boil, then let it all just simmer and cook. Serve it up good and hot, you know what you get?Lisa Haley and the Zydekats!I first saw Lisa and the band on TV's The Late Mr. Pete Show - they were the house band. And what a band! In my days, I've watched a lot of Saturday Night Live, Arsenio Hall, Tonight Show and David Letterman... For me, the Zydekats were, by far, the best house band I'd ever seen or heard on television.They play their own unique blending of Cajun music. That's Louisiana party music, and it's unlike anything else you might have heard!Lisa and the band actually tell this story about Louisiana and the eatin' you get down there much better than I can, in a song off her album called The Crawfish Song. A lot of the songs they do are traditional Cajun folk songs, often sung in Cajun (a variant of French), sometimes employing the more traditional and primitive instruments used in real Cajun folk music. Their music is not merely based on some superficial influence -- it's in their blood! Their presentation is tight, slick, tasty and at times hopping. When they do an up tempo number you just have to get up and dance.Since those long-ago Mr. Pete days, Lisa's been heard on the music tracks for a slew of television shows, feature films and commercials, including: The Beverly Hillbillies Movie, A Thing Called Love, The Barbara Mandrell Story, Man in the Moon, Waterboy, The Muppet Movie, National Lampoon's Seven Deadly Sins, Delta Heat and Mr. Atlas.You may have seen her on TV shows like Good Morning America, and NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, performing with Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett.She and the band have been included in historical projects, such as Sir George Martin's The Rhythm of Life (which also includes the likes of Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Sting and Lionel Richie) and the Best of CD Highway, running on PBS, BBC-1 and the Discovery channel. In between all of this, they manage to find time to do concert and club dates around the world, plus record several CDs.This album is absolutely delightful! I add it to my list of hot albums you can listen to start to finish (which had included Astro Loungefrom Smash Mouth and Tragic Kingdom from No Doubt). --Issues Magazine, Earl R. DingmanLisa Haley and the Zydekats have put out a solid album with the release of Waiting for the Sky....This album has some traditional zydeco along with some of Lisa Haley's own material. The original music from the album has a full, rocking, powerful sound that's guaranteed to get people on their feet.The first tune on the album, Don't You Tell Your Mother, is an original number with some tight breaks. It was heavily influenced by one of Lisa Haley's teachers and her honorary adopted father, Joe Simien.The next tune, Genevieve, another original, has a sound similar to an old Clifton Chenier song, with its solid, traditional, Cajun feel.Some have compared Lisa Haley's vocals to those of the soulful Janis Joplin. Others have found her sound very close to those sultry vocals of Cher.The choice for a favorite song from this album is difficult, since all of the tracks have their own genuine appeal, but one's options might be narrowed down to three songs: Louisiana, Sing Me Home, an original by Lisa Haley, with its beautiful melody and strong lyrics, could be the state song for Louisiana; second runner up to that is the fun traditional Crawfish Song, complete with a bit of history on this tasty little critter. The third favorite is also a traditional piece, Fifi Poncho, which features some of the finest fiddle playing by that girl with the blue fiddle, Lisa Haley. Those who have listened to Waiting for the Sky... have been bitten by the Zyde-cosis bug and will be waiting for their next fix from Lisa Haley and the Zydekats. --Larry Belanger, All Music Guide