'Deux' Album Review
Written by Ian Tamblyn, O.C.
Award-winning singer-songwriter, record producer, festival programmer and world explorer
As winter wears on with only the slimmest hope of longer days, the best cure for the ‘Farch’ blahs might be the latest recording of Zydeco gumbo by the Vanier Playboys. 'Deux' is indeed a wonderful stew of Louisiana-based music and, with the right volume and some hot sauce, you could leave winter well behind in the comfort of your living room!
For the past several years, founders of the Playboys, Michael Ball and Jody Benjamin have travelled to the American south, immersing themselves in the world of Cajun and Zydeco music and culture. Though the two traditions share many sonic connections, in a sentence, Cajun music began as played by white Cajuns of Southern Louisiana while Zydeco originated with Black Creoles of the same region. At this point, the lines have blurred by contemporary iterations, but the traditions remain strong. The Canadian connection to all this is the ill -fated trail of Evangeline and the forced exodus of Acadians from Acadia and Nova Scotia to Louisiana after the Seven Years War that ended in 1763. Beyond the music that can be heard on this album, Jody and Michael studied the dance, vocal styles, rubboard and triangle techniques. The rubboard is unique to Zydeco music and likely evolved from a metal washboard and sewing thimbles. Southern cooking also became part of their deep South immersion, and sources tell me that some very fine meals were served in the Playboys home where this album was recorded.
The Vanier Playboys are made up of Jody Benjamin, vocals, rubboard and triangle, Michael Ball; fiddle, vocal; Antoine Larocque, accordions; Fred Guignion, electric guitars; Derek Jeffrey, bass; and Bob Bangs on drums and vocals. 'Deux' is a six-song presentation of Zydeco based music. The first two pieces on this recording, 'Madame Faielle' and 'Reach Out and Touch a Hand', hold close to the Zydeco tradition as very danceable tracks, featuring the accordion, rubboard, and fiddle. They are driven with committed rhythm from the guitar, bass and drums. The songs are sung by Michael and Jody in what one might call a 'flat tone' delivery. The vocals have a decidedly rural edge to them and there is a wonderful authenticity about these songs. Antoine Larocque is a dynamite young accordion player from Montreal, and he sets a high level with his playing and sound on the squeeze box. Within a few bars, I suspect you will be dancing or thinking about frying some catfish or shrimp. It is very infectious music played very well.
Track three is called 'Ball Peen Hammer', written by Playboy drummer Bob Bangs, and this is where the Zydeco part of the gumbo melds with rock’n’roll. The instrumentation remains the same, featuring accordion and soaring fiddle, but this piece has as much to do with rock’n’roll as Zydeco music. Track 4, 'Gator Gumbo', also written by Bob Bangs, is a shuffle with Southern roots and is another very danceable track. I have seen the group live in the recent past, and these branches from the Cajun tradition are consistent with their live shows, where I have heard them perform Zydeco influenced versions of songs like War’s 'Cisco Kid'. The Playboys are stretching the boundaries of the Zydeco sound and I applaud them for it because there can be a sameness to the recordings if one stays too close to the 'two step' tradition. The last two tracks on this recording return more to the arms of the South but with track 5, the Vanier Playboys cover The Black Keys 'Lo /Hi' where there is a rock T. Rex groove in the song. Michael and Jody finish off the set with 'Born in the Country' by which time the gumbo should be ready to serve!
As mentioned, 'Deux' was recorded in Jody and Michael’s home in Vanier, Ontario. The engineering, mixing and mastering was ably done by Ross Murray at Happyrock International in Chelsea, QC. The album is wonderfully recorded. Congratulations all around! 'Deux' should be served with jambalaya, the stereo turned up loud, and with no regard to the heating bill. Stir it up and turn it up!