Honoring ancestors and raising awareness through his invigorating traditional sound, Louisiana folk n' roots singer-songwriter Dustin Dale Gaspard's' new EP, Avec Le Courant -- released this past Friday, October 24th, 2024 -- eulogizes family and community tradition with deep history.
Translating to "with the current," the French and English-sung EP features a heavy use of Acadian instruments, as the project pays homage to the oppressed past of the Acadian people in 1700s Northeast Canada. This group was targeted and exiled for nonconforming to British rule, and shipped all across the Atlantic with some escaping and hiding in the forests before deportation. This event became known as 'Le Grand Derangement.'
"A large majority ended up in Deep South Louisiana, aiding the Spanish in settling the land," Gaspard states regarding the history of the event. "For years the community grew but never forgot their French origins, and these people became the Cajuns. I wanted to tell this story through songs utilizing both English and the language of my ancestors, Cajun French."
With delicate fiddle and acoustic accompaniment, "Éteignez bien la flamme" beautifully if not hauntingly establishes the energy of the EP. The instrumental brings a classical tone with tasteful embellishment under passionate and controlled vocals. Woven between the notation, a string of pride is presented in a soundscape of richness.
The second track, "Prosper," starts a stomping jive between percussion and fiddle, accenting the banjo plucks with rich musical depth. Fitting for a film visual, the instruments lead the way, telling a story through interval and intonation without having to say a word. The notes seem to be on a march themselves, expressing ambition, drive, and grace before closing the song with fastidious poise.
Filled with grit and grandiose riffs, "Prepar tes garçon" has a fiddle cry that grabs the listener's attention with awe even before striking interlude moments. Dynamic vocals steer the song and give the instrumental valleys their shape while collectively offering an infectious sonic soundscape. Gaspard's speaking of Cajun-French creates a beautiful cultural scenery, supported by the imagery-like performance emanating from the accompaniment.
"Le Bon Dieu" slows things down, allowing scintillating banjo, fiddle, bass, and bodhran to display their brilliant tone. Translating to "the good Lord," "Le Bon Dieu" is called out by burning vocals, embodying the emotionality of the song. A speaking instrumental break divides stanzas, painting a glimmering picture before breaking with a "Hallelujah" transition to a dancing end.
'Le Grand Dérangement' holds a sorrowful history of displacement and eradication, provoking the emergence of the Cajun people, and Gaspard pays his people magnificent respect and personal tribute with Avec Le Courant, especially commemorating Angelique Pinet Lege, his ancestor who traveled with her three songs following the events.
A touring artist with Cajun-French flare and an strong voice, Dustin Dale Gaspard sees the new EP mark his second released collection of music, following Hoping Heaven Got a Kitchen (2022) and preceding the full-length version of Avec Le Courant, expected in 2025. In the making since 2023, the album showcases the songwriter's vast versatility, highlighting a refreshing uniqueness in the folk n' roots world.
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