Rating:
Genre:
Cajun
Release Date: 04/27/2004
Wayne Toups has always played a sort of gumbo music, mixing in
blues,
zydeco,
R&B,
rock & roll, and even
Western swing to a base of traditional
Cajun waltzes and two-steps, all done with the kind of electrifying dynamics that make him a natural live performer, and his shows brim with
rock stagecraft, earning him the title of "the
Bruce Springsteen of
Cajun." On
Whoever Said It Was Easy, his second album for
Shanachie Records, it is obvious that
Toups has every intention of adding new
country to his list of gumbo ingredients, and songs like
"Man in the Mirror" and
"Hole in My Heart" wouldn't sound a bit out of place on
contemporary country radio sandwiched between the hat acts. The thing to remember about
Toups is that he isn't, and has never been, a traditionalist, and his mission is a populist one, so dropping heavy
country elements into the stew makes perfect sense if what you're after is a broad demographic and a road show that is the greatest
Cajun dancehall on wheels. Not that the
Cajun strain doesn't peak through on this record (
"The Ring That Shines" is a beautiful and wonderful
Cajun waltz), but it seems a shame to keep
Toups in the
Cajun/
zydeco niche when he assimilates so much more into his sound.
"Leap of Faith" is a case in point. Featuring
Stanley "Buckwheat Zydeco" Dural, the song is full-tilt
gospel revival music, and while the accordion pins it in Louisiana, the fervor is pure Alabama Baptist. This album probably isn't the one that will break
Toups to the masses, however, although it's a step closer to what passes for the center these days, and he is a natural to cross over to the
country market eventually. If the programmers at
country radio are smart (which has never been definitively proven), then a couple of these tunes would be added to the play list immediately because this musician's time is coming. Nobody said it would be easy.
~Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
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