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)

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]

Production

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

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

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

  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 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Menestrel, Sara Le (December 19, 2014). Negotiating Difference in French Louisiana Music: Categories, Stereotypes, and Identifications. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781626743724 – via Google Books.
  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. 1 2 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 – via Google Books.
  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. 1 2 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 A MUSICIAN". Tallahassee Democrat. p. F12.
  15. 1 2 "Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys - Bayou Ruler Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  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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