This disc was more than eight years in the making and the amount of work that went into it shows in every detail. There are huge amounts of information about the disc, 16 pages of liner notes to be exact. They do everything from giving both the English and French versions of the songs' lyrics to giving the history of the songs to explaining the naming of the disc to listing who plays what on which tune and so forth. The disc is named after the
Michot family camp (secondary residence in a more remote area); it is a place the boys and family could retreat to in order to escape or take refuge, or it could host social functions that required a more rural setting.
Les Frères Michot are six brothers playing good old-fashioned Cajun music in an acoustic and unamplified style. This is the music of the old days, the music of house dances, of a time gone by when all came together to dance away their cares in gatherings of family and those close enough to be considered family. They eschew drums because they feel they can be a bit overpowering, and thus they use the other instruments to propel the rhythm. They, in various combinations or alone, wrote six of the 23 tunes, and the rest are traditional numbers that are arranged by one or more of the brothers. This is a genuine throwback to those times passed. There is a good bit of the old intermingling of the influences of country in their music and some pretty fair yodeling ("La Valse de Marriage"). There is a good assortment of tunes here, including some two-steps, some fast (or double-time) waltzes, and, just like at the house dances, one or two slow waltzes so that the dancers could catch their breath. This disc not only has some stunning old-timey Cajun music, but will give you a glimpse into a time fast going by. ~ Bob Gottlieb