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June 12, 2008
Boudreau’s
new CD rapidly becoming
a favourite with dancers
DAN MACDONALD, The Cape Breton Post
Last week
I mentioned that I had gotten my hands on a copy of Marc
Boudreau’s new CD, “Steppin’ It Up,” which was officially
released in Cheticamp last weekend. Marc has been around the
music scene for about a dozen years but has really come to
the fore in the past few years. He is serious about his
music, spending a great deal of time practicing and learning
new material when he isn’t working as an emergency medical
technician.
Boudreau
is a powerful player with a lively sound and great lift. As
a result, he is rapidly becoming a favourite with the
dancers. “Steppin’ It Up” is a wonderful collection of some
of his best work with over 50 minutes of music spread over a
dozen cuts. OK, so it’s only 11 official cuts. The last is a
throw-in of Boudreau trying out J.P. Cormier’s guitar,
something that he sounds very good doing.
He appears
to be able to absorb music from many sources. Some cuts on
the CD have a traditional Cheticamp texture. Other cuts
sound very close to the playing of Buddy MacMaster or Jerry
Holland, both in style and tune selection. Neither would be
considered a poor choice to emulate.
Boudreau swings through groups of tunes with ease — several
nice sets of jigs and powerful collections of strathspeys
and reels, with a few marches dropped in for variety.
Whatever he plays, Boudreau is clearly well practised and
comfortable, with never a note out of place. Much of the
music is traditional, or from the works of the Scottish
composers, but there are tunes from local musicians like
Brenda Stubbert, Fr. Angus Morris, Sandy MacIntyre, John
Morris Rankin, Mike MacDougall and Marcel Doucet.
“Steppin’
It Up” was recorded at Cormier Sound in Cap Lemoine and
features solid backup from Joel Chiasson on piano and Dave
MacIsaac on guitar, with J.P. Cormier making a guest
appearance with his mandolin on one cut. The artwork is very
good, simple and effective, with everything visible and easy
to read.
All in
all, “Steppin’ It Up” is an excellent CD and something for
Boudreau to be proud of. If you’re a fiddle fan, this is one
for the collection.
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Above photo:
Margaree (by Victor Maurice Faubert)
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Marc Boudreau:
Steppin' It Up
BUY CD
($20 CAD)
Hear
Marc on Show 45
and Show 46.
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