Wikipedia

Bayou Ruler

Bayou Ruler is an album by the American band Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, released in 1998.[2][3] A couple of its English-language songs were regional hits, although they proved controversial to some Cajun traditionalists.[4][5] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[6] "Let Me Know" was promoted to radio stations all over the United States, a rarity for a Cajun single.[7]

Bayou Ruler
Studio album by
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Released1998
GenreCajun
LabelRounder[1]
ProducerC.C. Adcock, Tarka Cordell
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys chronology
Friday at Last
(1997) 		Bayou Ruler
(1998) 		Happytown
(2001)

Production

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The album was produced by C.C. Adcock and Tarka Cordell.[8] The band continued to incorporate into their sound rock and blues styles; in their spare time the band listened more to rock than Louisiana music.[9][10] "Mama Told Papa" is a cover of the Clifton Chenier song.[11] "My True Love (Voyage d'amour)" is a cover of the Dewey Balfa tune; "je suis pas un couillon" is a cover of the Belton Richard song.[12][13] Jimmy Domengeaux played guitar on the album, his last with the band; he died in a motorcycle accident in January 1999.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide     [8]

The Los Angeles Times called Bayou Ruler "a scattered-sounding, misdirected album that Riley describes as 'swamp pop'... Its layers of brass, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, Hammond B3 organ and other pop-friendly devices are murky indeed."[16] The Star Tribune opined that "'Tough Get Going' is a particularly anemic rocker, and the swamp pop stuff just needs to be greasier."[12]

The Washington Post praised the "convincing" Cajun-rock fusion, writing that "one has to go back to the swamp-pop glory days of Tommy McClain and Cleveland Crochet to find such a convincing hybrid."[17] The Province determined that the title track possessed a "Foreigner-goes-Cajun sound."[18] The Albuquerque Journal noted that the album "expands the group's horizons with a mixture of rock 'n' roll, R&B, and zydeco."[19]

AllMusic wrote that the band, "purveyors of traditional Cajun music, range far out of the bayous to incorporate most all the musical styles of Southern Louisiana."[15]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Bayou Ruler" 
2."Laisse-moi connaître" 
3."My True Love (Voyage d'amour)" 
4."Tough Get Going" 
5."King Zydeco" 
6."La rosée" 
7."All for the Better" 
8."j'ai été-z-au bal" 
9."Chez personne" 
10."Clin d'oeil (The Wink)" 
11."je suis pas un couillon" 
12."Mama Told Papa" 
13."Let Me Know" 

References

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  1. ^ Guarino, Mark (10 July 1998). "Go Southern tonight with bayou dancing or classic Austin blues". Time Out. Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 4.
  2. ^ "Steve Riley Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys mix Cajun tradition, zydeco blues and Louisiana swamp-pop for a tasty aural treat". Style Weekly.
  4. ^ Brasseaux, Ryan Andre (June 4, 2009). Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-045111-0.
  5. ^ Menestrel, Sara Le (December 19, 2014). Negotiating Difference in French Louisiana Music: Categories, Stereotypes, and Identifications. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781626743724.
  6. ^ Thompson, Stephen (9 July 1998). "The sound of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys...". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 9.
  7. ^ Mouton, Todd (June 5, 1998). "Playboys Branch Out but Cajun Roots Hold Fast". The Times-Picayune. p. L8.
  8. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 638.
  9. ^ Hahn, Roger (January 1, 2016). The Sounds of Louisiana: Twenty Essential Music Makers. Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 9781455621033.
  10. ^ Russell, Richard (12 Mar 1999). "After loss, the band re-tunes". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 15.
  11. ^ "Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys – Bayou Ruler". No Depression. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  12. ^ a b Mason, Rick (21 June 1998). "Pop/Rock". Star Tribune. p. 2F.
  13. ^ Wirt, John (June 26, 1998). "Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys Bayou Ruler". Fun. The Advocate. p. 8.
  14. ^ Schardl, Kati (29 Jan 1999). "Mourning Loss of Musician". Tallahassee Democrat. p. F12.
  15. ^ a b "Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys Bayou Ruler". AllMusic.
  16. ^ Roos, John (1 June 1998). "Responding Accordionly". Los Angeles Times. p. F2.
  17. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (17 July 1998). "Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys: 'Bayou Ruler'". The Washington Post. p. N14.
  18. ^ Derdeyn, Stuart (2 Oct 1998). "Cajun Quintet in Town". The Province. p. B4.
  19. ^ Rodriguez, Kenn (23 June 2000). "'Likely to succeed' lives up to billing". Albuquerque Journal. p. E15.
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