Danny Collet is a vocalist and accordion player from southwest Louisiana who took up playing music at the age of seven, and has been making music ever since. He first came to fame as a member of
the Basin Brothers, a traditional Cajun folk group whose CD, Let's Get Cajun, was nominated for a Grammy in 1991.
Collet has continued to play with some of the best in the business over the years. He formed his own band, the Louisiana Swamp Cats, in the '90s. Their eponymous CD was released in 1994. Recording in both English and French,
Collet's CD is a mixture of traditional Cajun with songs from the '50s and '60s, with some zydeco thrown in -- a type of music that some have termed swamp pop. Perhaps that title is most appropriate to the music, since
Collet often plays with swamp pop king
Johnnie Allan. Whatever it is called, the music is fun and dance worthy -- prerequisites for any music in the region. The CD starts off with a catchy title: "Makin' Love in the Chicken Coop." The programming then takes a more lyrical turn with "Quel Etoille." Most of the tunes are traditional or penned by some of Cajun music's biggest names:
Broussard, Walker, and Falcon. A few are written by the artist himself, such as "Rosa's Song" and "J' Menui de Tois." The music is fine, and there are plenty of snappy two-steps, waltzes, and downright boogies to keep the dancers happy. ~ Rose of Sharon Witmer