Rêve du Troubadour

Given his status as the fiddle player and vocalist for the Grammy-winning Los Bayou Ramblers, no one would have blamed Louisiana-French dynamo Louis Michot for staying put. But Michot, a veteran of over 20-odd studio recordings, is intent on staking his claim, resulting in his debut, Rêve du Troubadour. And it’s with good reason, as Rêve du Troubadour runs the gamut of Michot’s kaleidoscope of influences, injecting bits of bluesy zydeco on ‘Ti Coer Bleu’, featuring Pennsylvania-born songwriter Langhorne Slim. And then, there’s moments like ‘Les Beaux Jours’, a cut that finds Michot crooning a simple and moody melody over a basic, gorgeous Fender tweed-drenched chord progression. But what truly sends Rêve du Troubadour skyward is Michot’s not-so-subtle injection of beatbox, hip-hop, and free-jazz elements, as in ‘Boscoyo Fleaux’, featuring legendary Louisiana minimalist sax player Dickie Landry, turning Rêve du Troubadour’s proverbial swamp factor to ten. Overall, it’s easy to see why Michot – an already hyper-accomplished musician – decided to make a solo go of it. Rêve du Troubadour is a musically multifaceted and undeniably mind-bending sonic experience. Take the journey.