Jeffery Broussard has been doing this since before most of us knew what Zydeco was. Son of Delton Broussard, co-founder of Zydeco Force, the man who helped write the sonic language of nouveau zydeco in the late eighties. BAYOU MOONLIGHT arrives carrying all of that lineage. We got sent a single, but boy oh boy did we want the album.
IS JEFFERY BROUSSARD & THE NIGHTTIME SYNDICATE A REGULAR ON OUR PLAYLISTS?
Not yet. But RICHEST MAN is making a strong case.
Sit down, pour yourself a cup of coffee - or whatever. The opening track is very much an intro into the energy, the skill, and the dulcet tones you can get for the rest of the album. Is it perfect? No, there are a couple of bits where we wish the backing vocals weren't lost. But overall? It's bright and well-formed. and by the way, imperfections are really what you want to hear much of the time with music like this. That’s what makes it real.
The keys and brass are spectacular. We mentioned Zydeco in the opening, but you're getting so much more than that. With Broussard's mother introducing him to juré, a cappella Creole field music, with roots going back as far as history will let it.
Jeffery taught himself accordion in secret, on his father's instrument - and we can't be happier about it. The album pulls from everywhere that lineage touches.
In Louisiana, creating a new sound doesn't require breaking with the past. For Jeffery Broussard & the Nighttime Syndicate, it's about incorporating different elements into the mix. Bayou Moonlight features a lively mix of Zydeco chestnuts including Rosie Ledet's "HELLO BABY," Rocking Sidney's "NO GOOD WOMAN," the Cajun standard "MADELINE" which Jeffery's father Delton played with the Lawtell Playboys, fan favorites by Broussard's old band Zydeco Force, Sam Cooke's soul masterpiece "A CHANGE IS GONNA COME," and so on. These have all been transformed with the infusion of New Orleans' funky R&B styles and the streetwise Jazz of its century-old Brass Band tradition. Jeffery's lusty vocals, swirling runs on the button-accordion and Gary Francois' furious frottoir work eddy through the heady horn lines spun by Edward Jackson, Paul Chéenne, and David McKissick of the TBC Brass Band, swung by the sweetly fleet rhythmic underpinnings provided by drummer Hannah David, Spike Perkins on bass and producer Beauxis on guitar. It's a fusion of potent, diverse styles and high spirits into an altogether intoxicating proposition.
RICHEST MAN, oh the sax… oh. the. sax. It's the lead single for the album, and honestly, the skill and talent come through with crystal clarity. The female vocals perfectly complement (and maybe it is fair to say, are more stunning) Broussard's - but only here. The natural pitch and rasp he has make it incomprehensible that he should be doing anything other than playing music.
And, further, the instrument we just don't hear enough in everyday life, the frottoir. AWW BABY brings it to the front so well that it is showcased; every other instrument sits around it in a perfect frame.
We should say, ahead of the next bit, we enjoy the works of Sam Cooke, and the poignancy of A CHANGE IS GONNA COME. To hear it come through the speakers as track 6, with the same weight but beautifully different. Vocally, it's closer to the Otis Redding version. Either way, incredible.
What we really appreciate is the emotional architecture of the track ordering; each instrument is given its moment to really shine. I'M COMING HOME swings deeper into a bluesy feel, and the accordion, keys, and forward drums - yes.
By this point, we've headed to YouTube to look for live renditions, because this is made for a stage. And we found what might be the best introduction to a song ever?
ROACHES.
Moving down the track list, SWING does exactly what it says on the tin. And finally, you get to FALLING IN LOVE WITH JESUS.
Like we said, the architecture.
We got a taste of the single and asked for the album, and we’re glad we got it.
