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Linda Ronstadt / Ann Savoy
Adieu False Heart
(Vanguard)
First Appeared in The Music Box, July 2006, Volume 13, #7
Written by John Metzger
Adieu False Heart, the first full-length collaboration between Linda Ronstadt
and Ann Savoy, is a continuation of the work that they did on the
Grammy-nominated set Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music. Although the duo
avoids using their new endeavor to make any overt political statements, it is
impossible to avoid putting the pieces of popular culture together in a way that
transforms Adieu False Heart into something greater than it initially appears to
be.
It all began in 2004 when Ronstadt famously was booted from the Aladdin
Theatre in Las Vegas simply because she had dedicated a song in her set to film maker
Michael Moore. Savoy, on the other hand, has forged a rather successful career
for herself by bringing traditional Cajun fare to the masses. As a result,
whenever Ronstadt and Savoy sing songs about lost love — as they do throughout
Adieu False Heart — the thought that immediately springs to mind is that
are remembering the city of New Orleans and paying their
respects to those who perished in Hurricane Katrina’s devastating aftermath.
The music concocted by Ronstadt and Savoy’s stellar backing band — which
includes mandolinist Sam Bush; bass player Byron House; guitarists Sam
Broussard; Chas Justus, and Joel Savoy; accordionist Dirk Powell; and string
players Andrea Zonn, Stuart Duncan, and Krista Wilkinson — treads lightly, and
it gently underscores the sorrowful reflection that is inherent in Adieu
False Heart’s material. Throughout the effort, Ronstadt and Savoy take turns
singing lead as they mix Cajun fare with songs penned by the likes of Bill
Monroe, Julie Miller, and Richard Thompson before concluding with an utterly
graceful rendition of The Left Banke’s Walk Away Renee. Nevertheless,
it’s whenever they blend their voices in perfect harmony that Adieu False
Heart truly comes alive. Aching but lovely and filled with a sense of
longing for something that likely never again will be the same, Adieu False
Heart says more about the state of life in coastal Louisiana and Mississippi
than any of the soundbites that the politicians have spouted.  ½
Adieu False Heart is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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