REVIEW BY BILL NEVINS
Coeur Fidele
Cap Enrage
Zachary Richard
Select Records
Visit <http://www.zacharyrichard.com>
Everyone interested in the struggle for the soul and heart of the North American continent should own these two fiery albums. And study them well.
Ralph Zachary Richard has built a dramatically dual career over the past three decades. On the one hand, he's been a country-tinged, cosmopolitan Cajun accordion player, known for good times zydeco party records like Zach's Bon Ton (Rounder records). But the Louisiana-born Richard has also established himself as a militant champion of North American French-language culture, settling for years in Montreal close to the enduring flame of Francophone separatist nationalism.
Some of his best songs reflect that rebellious ideal. On this pair of CDs, Richard eloquently sketches the historical and social context of both his youthful rage and his lasting reverence for the culture of L'Acadie, the stolen-but-never-truly lost homeland of the exiled folk who came to be known as Louisiana's Cajuns.
Indeed, Richard's song, "Petit Codiac" on Cap Enrage reminds us of the origins of the name "Beausoleil". It was the proud nom de guerre of a historic Acadian warrior who fought back against Anglo tyranny and forced exile. Michael Doucet, an old musical comrade of "Zack" Richard, well knew the political connotations when he named his now-famous band Beausoleil. In this song, Richard proudly sets the name Beausoleil alongside that of Crazy Horse, Jackie Vautour and other indigenous and Acadian rebels.
There is little of Zack's trademark raucous accordion on these albums. Zack now lives mostly in Quebec, and has quipped that it is too cold there to fall down in the snow after partying in early Spring. Instead, Richard has turned his lilting voice and strong guitar to exploring the historical and spiritual struggles of a culture and a people long repressed but never crushed.
On the song, "Massachusetts", Zack looks at the painful theme of assimilation. A troubled Francophone man named Jean (could he be the late novelist Jack Kerouac?), becomes an "American" and turns his back on his heritage of "pea soup in the kitchen and them Frenchies in the shack". He seems to gain only alienation, alcoholism and anger in the bargain.
"Massachusetts" is a very sad song, as are several on these albums, but Zack also offers joyous tales of pride and celebration, and of dancing in the widely scattered French communities of North America, despite all the troubles they have seen.
These are brilliant, stirring albums. Zack Richard has become one of this continent's finest popular poets, and a world-class, proud champion of the beauties of French and working-class cultures.
[Bill Nevins is a resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has written on Irish politics and cultural topics for a number of progressive publications.]
From Green Left Weekly, October 16, 2002.
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