AMG Review of Louisiana Man: The Very Best of Doug Kershaw Live

Steve Leggett
All Music Guide

Louisiana fiddler Doug Kershaw has been performing his brand of energetic hybrid Cajun music for some 50 years now, and this live set, which tackles most songs at a blistering pace, shows that he is far from a one-trick pony. His touring band (which features his son Tyler on drums) delivers a big, full contemporary Cajun country sound with plenty of rock dynamics, topped off by Kershaw's manic fiddle playing, which careens through the arrangements, creating energy and tension. There are several high points in the set, including a blazing run-through of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya," an introduce-the-band take on Rockin' Sidney's annoying but infectious "My Toot Toot" (called "Toot Toot Man" here), and a fiery version of Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen," a variant of the old fiddle standard "Cotton Eye Joe," which features some of the spookiest fiddle runs ever to rise out of the bayou. Kershaw closes the show with his brilliant signature tune, "Louisiana Man," a big hit in 1961 and a deserving standard ever since.