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In honor of the BeauSoleil concert I'm attending tomorrow night, I've decided to make a new, updated list of my top ten favorite BeauSoleil songs from the albums that I own. This is a brand new list, and significantly different from my previous list on my BeauSoleil site. Not surprisingly, most of my favorite songs are the fast, energetic two-steps but there are a few slower numbers in there as well. So, in no particular order, here are my favorite BeauSoleil album tracks with the album name in parentheses:

Chanson pour Tommy (Cajunization)
This is a medley in honor of the late Tommy Comeaux who was an occasional member of the group. It starts with a slow, mournful yet respectful waltz and ends on a high note with a more upbeat anthemic tune that Tommy discovered and brought to the group. This song never fails to bring out my emotional side when I listen to it.

Bayou Cadillac (Bayou Cadillac)
This may actually be one of BeauSoleil's catchiest songs. The drums bring an urgent rhythm and the rest of the instruments keep up the urgency and make the song funky and rockin'. It's a medley of "Not Fade Away," "Bo Diddley" and "Iko Iko." Three totally unrelated songs at first glance, but somehow the group makes it all work and gets your hips moving and toes tapping.

Le Jig Francais (Bayou Deluxe)
This brings back memories. I don't actually have it on CD, but I heard it at the last BeauSoleil concert I attended in August of 2000. They brought out the other fiddlers from the concert (Darol Anger, Mike Marshall and the incomparable Vassar Clements and Mark O'Connor) onto the stage to play the song. When you add Michael Doucet, that's five fiddles at one time. First it was just Darol, Mike M., Vassar and Mike D, but about a minute into the song Mark O'Connor jumped onto the stage to join in. At that point, I knew I was in for a treat. That was so much fun to see. The song is your typical fast paced, catchy, French........jig. Just as the name implies.

Newz Reel (L'Amour ou La Folie)
This song holds special meaning for me - it was the first BeauSoleil song I had ever heard. The moment I first heard it, I fell in love with it. It's another one of those fast, catchy songs that BeauSoleil seems to specialize in. It kind of sounds like a country-style fiddle song. It's great stuff. Furthermore, it is used as the theme song to a Lafayette, LA TV news show, hence the name Newz Reel.

Me and Dennis McGee (Gitane Cajun)
This is a track off their lastest album "Gitane Cajun" and it's a tribue to the famous Cajun fiddler Dennis McGee with whom Michael Doucet had a great friendship. It's a fast-paced, fiddle driven song but everyone gets a solo. I'm highly anticipating seeing it performed live. I'm sure the band will play it because it's one of the highlight tracks on "Gitane Cajun".

Les Fleurs Fleurissent (Gitane Cajun)
Another "Gitane Cajun" song, this one features only fiddle, accordion and Michael's haunting vocals. Its simplicity and sadness really do it for me. I love when the group occasionally forgoes the full band concept and strips things down. There's something about just hearing a fiddle or two and accordion that makes a listener pay attention and feel the emotion in the song.

Travailler C'est Trop Dur (Looking Back Tomorrow)
This is one of the songs the band recorded early in its career, peformed again for the live 25th anniversary special album "Looking Back Tomorrow." It has the feel of a ballad or perhaps a Dylan song. In any case, it's very simple and intimate and slows things down a bit to allow reflection. I always imagine the song being peformed around a campfire at the end of a hard day of crawfish harvesting. It's a song you can relax to and think about what life means, and where the music fits in it all.

One Iota (L'Echo)
This is one of the finest examples of BeauSoleil's fast, danceable two-steps. The fiddle is practically on fire, the drums pound out a steady beat, and Michael sings with conviction and volume. You can't go wrong turning this song on at a party.

Tasso/McGee's Reel (Cajun Conja)
Another fast dance track, this one starts off fast and just gets faster and faster. The reel at the end has a very "live" sound to it, and you can imagine both the musicians and dancers being worn out by the time it's done. If there's an appropriate song to end a concert or dance, it's this one.

Vieux Crowley (Cajun Conja)
Yes, again, I've selected a dance number. This track has no vocals, and is a great example of a more accordion-oriented track. The accordion has a bit of a different flavor than the fiddle, and it makes for great dancing and shaking all around. This song is steady and comes at you full speed and you can't help but smile throughout.

Finally, I'll list three BeauSoleil albums that I would recommend to a BeauSoleil newbie. Actually, I think I'll list four instead because I want to recommend first:

- The Best Of BeauSoleil (Arhoolie Records). In order to appreciate what BeauSoleil has done with Cajun music, you need to know where it all started. This isn't the absolute most traditional of their albums, but it's a good start to get you acquainted with the various Cajun styles from which BeauSoleil derieves its sound. Although some of this may be a bit too "folky" and plain for some, there's enough fun to be had to keep things interesting. Also, be sure to read the English-translated lyrics that come in the booklet in order to get a feel for the themes present in Cajun songs.

- L'Amour Ou La Folie. I was originally going to recommend "Bayou Cadillac" here but I decided instead to highlight this 1997 album on which BeauSoleil successfully combined Cajun traditions with newer, fresher material that goes beyond the bayou. BeauSoleil won the Grammy for best traditional folk album for this record, so you know it has to be good. While there are some good traditional (but modern-sounding) tracks like "Eunice Two-Step" and "Valse A Pop," this album also highlights such musical genres as tin-pan alley, romantic ballad, Texas piano boogie and even Caribbean jazz. This was the first BeauSoleil album I purchased and it made me a BeauSoleil fan for life. The band has rarely done such an excellent job at combining the traditional and the new and making it sound so fresh and cohesive.

- L'Echo. In addition to being an energetic, enjoyable album this is a good primer on some of the great songs from great Cajun musicians. You get to easily see how BeauSoleil has updated the songs to fit the here and now. What BeauSoleil does best is honor the Cajun music tradition while at the same time making it relevent for today's audiences and home listeners. The album is also packed full with traditional Cajun music styles from the familiar waltz and two-step to the long-gone string band tradition. In summary, listen to this if you want to learn more about Cajun music history without listening to music that sounds as if it's stuck IN history.

- Looking Back Tomorrow: BeauSoleil Live! This might be the finest album the band has ever made. BeauSoleil is really more of a live band than a recording band. It's true that their studio albums are perfectly amazing, but they are even more amazing when playing to a crowd. Their 25th anniversary live album is a good mix of their more popular songs from their long career with newer tracks written just for this live package. There are two-steps and waltzes, New Orleans love songs and Zydeco jams. Throughout, evidence of the band's passion and very adept talent with their chosen instruments is highly apparent. If you can't get out to see the band perform live where you live, this is the next best thing. Every emotion, chord, note and vocal is enhanced a thousand times over even the best studio performance. The quality is just spectacular and I really do think this is as good as it gets for the band. A newcomer would do well to pick up this CD if he or she has any curiousity whatsoever about the best Cajun band in the world, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet.