The band name for the long-time Radiators’ guitarist tells the story. Old Bayou Blues is the sound of friends sitting around on a porch in a living room singing songs they remember—a little Fats Domino, a little Hank Williams, a drinking song, a blues, and so on. Baudoin’s the top name on the marquee, but the vibe is communal because the album’s about the experience as much as its product. Baudoin and BeauSoleil’s David Doucet are obviously enjoying playing acoustic guitars together and do so without redundancy, while Harry Hardin’s fiddle gives the songs just enough South Louisiana without being showy.
Old Bayou Blues is a mature album, and one that is unassuming because no one on it has anything to prove. There’s a reason why there were two singers in front of Baudoin in the Radiators, but he’s solid enough for what these songs and this vibe require. On Fats Domino’s “It’s You I Love,” he veers toward Dylanville, but it adds a little poignancy.
The album also raises an interesting question: If Old Bayou Blues has been lurking inside Baudoin, what other unlikely music is inside the Radiators’ members now that they’re free to let it out? Baudoin’s album gives us a reason to be hopeful.
