Maudite Moisson [Digipak] (CD - 2003)

Le Vent du Nord: Bernard Simard (vocals, guitar); Nicolas Boulerice (vocals, hurdy-gurdy, accordion, piano, bodhran, tambour); Olivier Demers (guitar, mandolin, violin); Benoit Bourque (mandolin, accordion).

The individual members that make up the quartet of La Vent du Nord have a wide variety of experience in French-Canadian folk music, and its European antecedents and American parallels, but knowledge doesn't always mean a fine performance. Happily, La Vent du Nord are less preservers of a past than they are welcome infusers of life to a number of traditions -- Maudite Moisson is, a few calm numbers aside, kick-up-your-heels music through and through. Knowing French isn't a prerequisite for enjoying this fine album, though it doesn't hurt, with lyrics touching on everything from ancient love stories to merry tales of lecherous and flirting monks. The individual performers all have moments to shine, but special attention should be given to two. Nicolas Boulerice plays piano, but more notably hurdy-gurdy, and the lively kick he brings to his main instrument of choice adds so many moments of beautiful flair throughout, that one could almost just concentrate on his solo turns, as on "Au Bord de la Fontaine" and "Quatre Pollus." Meanwhile, multi-instrumentalist Benoit Bourque tackles percussion, accordion, guitar, and mandolin, and even a stomping dance or two, to add to the lively kick of the album -- the reels alone, like "Grand Pit/Reel a Deux Tetes" and "Suite de Virginie," are sparklers. Individual turns on vocals are enjoyable, but the four blend together beautifully -- the a cappella "Cher Amis Buvons" is a grand standalone example, a drinking song that doesn't sound like a typical example of same (at least to Anglophone ears). The quartet's take on styles that seem uniquely cosmopolitan French demonstrate how influence finds itself in many different shapes -- the waltz-time "Les Trois Freres Roy" could be a suave boulevardier turn in Paris in the '30s, while gentler ballads, like "Gros Richard," and the blues-tinged "Par Un Dimanche au Soir," balance the Quebecois twang and the inherent beauty of French just so. ~ Ned Raggett minimize