All The Way Live   Lisa Haley   Blue Fiddle Records - 2005 A Review By Paule Pachter, February 25, 2006

I feel compelled to preface my review of Lisa Haley’s “All the Way Live” CD before I get into the heart of this wonderful recording. Anyone that has read my reviews on ZydecoRoad.com for the past seven years knows of my fondness for Lisa Haley and the ZydeKats. I’ve had the pleasure to review every one of her recordings for our Sounds of the Road pages. Among the hundreds of reviews that I have written and that have been republished by the artists or on other online publications, Lisa Haley’s material has always scored my highest praises. And, I’m not about to depart from this practice now! Among the many Zydeco artists performing and recording throughout the world Lisa Haley is a rarity. A master musician on the fiddle, a woman that possesses a soulful and emotional voice who understands the culture she has chosen to sing about, and an artist always ready to take a risk. It takes a confident artist to release a Live recording. Some artists release a Live CD because they might have a contractual obligation to their record label and don’t have enough new material to complete a scheduled project. Others like Lisa Haley are so confident that their material performed Live is of the highest quality and would make a great CD and also fill a demand by their fans. For anyone that loves Zydeco music and is looking for a unique listening experience, they need not look further than “All The Way Live.” Haley and the ZydeKats parked themselves in front of their fans in a Burbank, California recording studio and brought together a great crew of engineers and sound technicians and blasted through 16 of their most requested songs, plus one new one “Rubboard Stomach.” The end result is a very special CD that captures the excitement and energy of one of Zydeco’s foremost west coast artists who has crafted this magic over a period of nearly 15 years, hundreds of tours and countless live performances on the world stage. Like the artist herself, all of the material is original. Some like “Louisiana;” Mr. Leonard;” and “Don’t Tell Your Mother” are destined to be classics. Joining Ms. Haley in the studio are Skip Edwards (accordion, vocals), Chuck Alvarez (guitar, vocals), Andy Anders (bass, vocals), Gary Ferguson (drums), Brent Dyer (rubbord), and Dusty Wakeman (vocals). Lisa Haley playing the blue fiddle is like the elusive blue lobster. It’s a very rare experience, but when you see it, it’s something you always remember. No surprise that “All The Way Live” earns our highest five-pepper rating. You can purchase this CD by logging onto Lisa Haley’s official website at: www.bluefiddle.com. We greatly appreciate your support and encouragement of The Zydeco Road. Working together, we can enhance the recognition that Zydeco music and its artists so greatly deserve on Long Island and within the Metro New York area. [ Artist of the Month ] [Sounds of The Road ] [This Ain't No Rest Stop ] [ The Road Stops Here ] [Road Shows ] [Home ] [Email ] Also visit copyright 2006 Paule Pachter/Richard Arfin. All rights reserved.