Acadie - Daniel Lanois

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	beautiful, emotional, charming  -  you will keep returning to this record
Disadvantages:	none at all

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Acadie takes the listener on a series of journies - a journey through Daneil Lanois' homelands in Canada; a journey through the past, as traditional ways of life are half remembered and the folk songs of the past are referenced; and also a deeply moving spiritual journey.

By 1989 Daniel Lanois' reputation was second to none - Rolling Stone hailed him as "the most important record producer to emerge in the Eighties" and artists such as Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Peter Gabriel and U2 queued up for his services. His production style became a byword for quietly epic, atmospheric, stirring, delicate yet impassioned music. Above all Lanois captured the essence of the acts he produced. By insisting on relatively 'live' recording, with the control board frequently amongst the musicians to absorb the feeling of the music, Lanois was able to imbue his records with a vibrant immediacy and genuine emotion.

By 1989 Lanois had relocated to a house/studio called Kingsway, in New Orleans. The warmth of this rambling building where musicians could live and work is palpable on much of Acadie. Lanois' gentle old-fashioned tunes, often with French lyrics, not only reflected life in Canada when he was growing up (Acadie is a area of Canada he knew well) but the songs linked the past to the present by invoking the folklore of the French population in the bayous of Louisiana. Many had a strong religious feel, especially "The Maker", which has proved to be one of Lanois' most enduring songs.

The songs took shape gradually, often during other artists' sessions. "The Maker" was originally an uneasy mix of harmonica and ambient funk that Lanois was initially unhappy with. But the addition of an unwanted drum track from the Neville Brothers' Yellow Moon sessions transformed the song into a powerfully emotional prayer and Aaron Neville's beautiful harmony vocal was just the icing on the cake. "Amazing Grace" was at one point intended for Yellow Moon but was left unfinished until Lanois visited Eno at his Suffolk Wilderness studio. Eno also added keyboards and treatments to a number of songs, including the cello effects on "St Ann's Gold" and some haunting backing vocals for the opening song "Still Water". Eno also recorded a rare lead vocal for "You Don't Miss Your Water", a song that was eventually dropped (though it did appear on b sides and the Married To The Mob film soundtrack). Lanois sent tapes to Dublin - there Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jnr added bass and drums to a couple of songs - whilst back in New Orleans Lanois set about finishing the album. Many of the simpler songs were recorded live including "O Marie", a delightful story of the traditional French Canadian tobacco pickers, and much of the similarly folksy "Under A Stormy Sky", but other tracks took longer. Lanois comments that the powerful panoramic sweep of "Where The Hawkwind Kills" (the only song to approach the bombast of U2) 'took forever to finish', and the informative sleevenotes detail the number of mixes and overdubs required on tracks such as "Still Water."

Despite the disparate sessions and disjointed recordings the end result was a remarkably cohesive record. The homespun nature of "O Marie" contrasts with the effects laden "Ice" but neither seems out of place. Lanois' warm and smoky voice is expressive and inviting, his occasional diversions into French (sometimes in alternating lines) seem entirely natural and don't detract from the songs at all. The strong spiritual vibe flowing through the album is balanced by an earthy honesty from superb musicians playing at the top of their game, contributing soulfully and imaginatively to a selection of inventive original songs.

In 2005 Daniel Lanois' website (www.daniellanois.com) reissued Acadie and with fifteen years of hindsight he remarked, "Having had a chance to separate myself from this work I can now see how naïve and pure it really is. I stand by this work and I'm very proud of it."