Steve Riley and
the Mamou Playboys
Best of Steve Riley and
the Mamou Playboys
Rounder – 11661-6117
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also available on amazon
This is a very encompassing look at the one of the premier Cajun bands playing; they are staunch upholders of the traditions of Cajun music while at the same time pushing it into the 21st century, and doing it with a flair that is winning it new devotees continually. They went back and included all but one of their Rounder albums and one that was recorded for Swallow Records, and there is not a weak cut here. There is an integrity with this group that pervades not only their music, but also what is put forth representing them, and there is some 2 hours of music included here less about 4 or 5 minutes, including 3 previously unreleased songs. If you are new to Cajun music this is a treat waiting for you to put it on, the music is happy even if the songs are sometimes about unhappy events, it is to get the audience up and dancing their cares away in the arms of, or in conjunction with a partner.
Steve Riley, accordion and vocals, and David Greely, fiddle, saxophone and vocals, have been
working together for some 18 years, give or take; and almost all of the band members are from the
Lafayette, LA vicinity and have played with each other either formally or informally. The members of the group are all consummate musicians, who seem to not only genuinely love the music they play and each other, but also enjoy finding ways of pushing the boundaries within the tradition, without destroying the form. They seem to be well schooled and have learned the music of masters such as the Balfa Brothers, Dennis McGee and Canray Fontenot; and at the same time the ever shifting members of the band bring in influences from other bands they have played in, from southern rock to folk and all manner of music from all over the spectrum. In all ways an outstanding disc.