Daniel Lanois 1: Acadie

Right at the end of the ‘80s, after a few years of producing the likes of U2, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, the Neville Brothers and Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois finally put out an album under his own name. Acadie was recorded in spurts with contributions from some of the luminaries on his earlier projects, yet sports a uniform sound noticeable to fans of his production work. The final product was assembled in New Orleans, which neatly bookends the French Canadian influences of the tracks.

“Still Water” is a perfect intro, setting the tone for the rest of the album with gentle vocals, acoustic guitars, muffled drums and ethereal keyboards. “The Maker” is the closest thing to a hit here, as it has been covered by Dave Matthews, and even in a Karaoke version sung by Willie Nelson (on the Lanois-produced Teatro album; the original was also used years later over the closing credits of Sling Blade). “O Marie” and much of “Jolie Louise” are in French, but still fun to sing along with, even in between lines like “my kids are small, four and three” and “I drink the rum till I can’t see”. “Fisherman’s Daughter” is a moody tone poem, with a brief spoken verse that ends almost as abruptly as it begins, going right into the instrumental “White Mustang II”.

“Under A Stormy Sky” has a rock-Cajun combo, and we still wonder if that’s Dylan on the harmonica. Then “Where The Hawkwind Kills” comes tumbling in. (This is the one track that most people think sounds like Bono singing; to his defense, Lanois said basically that if you had Bono yelling in your headphones for a few years, you’d sound like him too.) “Silium’s Hill” is another street-person interlude before the menacing “Ice”, another U2 touchpoint. “St. Ann’s Gold” brings us close to the end with a prayerful feeling, made complete by the dramatic interpretation of “Amazing Grace” featuring the voice of Aaron Neville on Mars transposed to a minor key.

Daniel Lanois rarely makes his own albums, and like his mentor Brian Eno, just because you like one album he’s worked on doesn’t mean you’ll like them all. But chances are, if you enjoy this one, it’s worth trying just about anything else with his name on it. (He’s pretty proud of the album too, since he reissued it in 2005 with a new cover, and again in 2008 with bonus tracks at a higher price.)

Daniel Lanois Acadie (1989)—5
2008 “Goldtop Edition”: same as 1989, plus 6 extra tracks