"Let's talk about drinking" suggests the title, and this wonderful example of early-'80s Cajun revivalism (with five new tracks added to what was the band's fifth album) finds Beausoleil in foraging mode, seeking out and reinvigorating traditional tunes concerned with such eternal pursuits as dancing, courting, eating, and boozing. Although he's steeped thoroughly in the Cajun fiddle tradition of Dennis McGee and Conray Fontenot, Michael Doucet adds a subtle modernist flair, while guitarist David Doucet begins to display an elegant nontraditional fluidity. The music retains a funky dancehall vibe while hinting at the artful evolution the band will experience over the years. --Richard Gehr

This 1984 release is an 18-track collection that mixes tracks from several previously issued (and now deleted) Beausoleil albums on Arhoolie, including the band's first disc on that label, Dit Beausoleil. It also serves as a reasonably complete survey of the band's time on Chris Strachwitz's landmark El Cerrito, California, label. The words of the title cut--"Speak to Us of Drinking"--says it all: this is Beausoleil at its best, mixing traditional Cajun waltzes ("Valse de Grand-Meche") and two-steps ("Midland Two-Step") with touches of the more modern sound ("Le Jig français") the band was to pursue after leaving Arhoolie. Sung in French by the group's leader, Michael Doucet, the songs on this collection effectively show Beausoleil's more traditional side. --Robert Baird