Search - Magnolia Sisters :: Chers Amis

The Magnolia Sisters are not related by blood, instead they were drawn together by their common love for Cajun music. The five-member group includes Jane Vidrine; Tina Pilione; Lisa Trahan Reed; Ann Savoy, who is also a member of the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band; and Christine Balfa, who is the daughter of the famous Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa. The Magnolia Sisters play a mix of songs and dance tunes that date from the early days of the Cajun presence in Louisiana in the 18th century to the first recorded examples of Cajun music from the 1920s. The Sisters are accomplished instrumentalists who play dance melodies such as Dennis McGee's "La La La La" and the Hackberry Ramblers' "Hé, Lá-Bas" with a subtly swinging rhythm that recalls an older style of Cajun music, before outside influences like honky-tonk country took hold. The CD's most powerful moments, though, come when Savoy and Vidrine put down their instruments and sing a cappella versions of the old songs "Le Pays des Estrangers" and "La Belle et le Capitaine." Their edgy, modal harmonies are simultaneously ancient and modern. --Michael Simmons