Delores Boudreau

ARICHAT- Four years after her debut release, Me, my Self & moi, Arichat singer-songwriter Delores Boudreau is getting set to usher in a second infusion of her unique blend of English, French Acadian and country bluegrass-inspired tunes, all delivered in a voice as heart wrenchingly earnest as it is subtly powerful.

"I knew that I would eventually make a second one - it has just taken this long for everything to fall into place," explained Boudreau, who has been busy the last few months making preparations and laying down tracks for the newest work, Finally Home, due out in October. She explained that, after spending some time 'shopping for the right producer,' she met up with Paul Mills - who has worked with such greats as Stan Rogers, Ron Hynes, J.P. Cormier and Natalie MacMaster - at this year's East Coast Music Awards in Charlottown.

"I believe I was his 129th CD," Boudreau said with a laugh.

As on her last CD, Boudreau has asked several local musicians, including Heather Richards, Patrick Lamey and Jason Williams to provide vocal harmonies and accompaniment. Songs will include several new pieces by Boudreau, as well as material by songwriters Don Osbourne, Duncan Wells and others.

"It's roots country or country folk - It has a lot of very bluegrassy-sounding numbers on it so it's quite different in overall sound from the first CD. But really exciting, because it's a very fresh sound for me," Boudreau explained.

"I wrote the title track called 'Finally Home,' about being at a place where you finally feel at peace and you're in a space or in a place where you've longed to be for a long, long time, and you finally find yourself there. Another one is called 'Deliver me,' and it's a prayer that I wrote."

Boudreau's previous work has already won her critical praise, two MIANS* nominations and a win in the Vocal Performance Category at Le Gala de la Chanson de la Nouvelle Ecosse in 1999, among other accolades' impressive for a musician who spent much of her working life in the teaching profession, only relatively recently gaining the confidence to turn to music full-time.
"I've always been very interested in music and I've always sung. However, it wasn't until later in life that I really started to take it all very seriously. To be honest, it took me a long, long time to feel confident enough to actually put myself out there," she said.

"I grew up in Arichat and there was always a lot of music around me. I couldn't imagine a day without music. I really wanted to create something and that felt most natural, so I really started to pursue music."

Pursue it she has, and with great results. Her passion for her new profession is evident from her stage performances, which vibrate with energy.

To see the fiery femme Fran'aise in her element, interested parties can catch her at her only full show of summer, scheduled for this Sunday night at the Louisbourg Playhouse. The show, which will also feature Richmond County favourites Jason Williams, Dennis Boudreau and Adam Cooke, will begin at 8 p.m. - By Lindasy O'Reilly, The Reporter

Port Hawkesbury singer/songwriter Delores Boudreau returned from Montreal on her 42nd birthday with much to smile about. There, she performed at the 1st International Acadian Cajun Festival of Qu'bec.

Boudreau, accompanied by brand new musicians, delivered a high-energy performance which garnered her an encore. The festival's Artistic Director Mario Boivin was impressed with Boudreau's 'dynamic stage presence' and the 'fresh new sound' she brought from Nova Scotia.

Boudreau adds 'the festival flew me in and chose four musicians to accompany me. They were just amazing!' Joining Boudreau on stage were Glamour Puss Blues Band pianist Roger Cormier; Magdalen Islands favorite Patrice D�raspe (of the folk group Vent'arri're); Montréal's classically trained V'ronique B'gin on fiddle; and bassist Louis-Simon H'tu (formerly of the popular Québec group Chasse-Galerie). 'We were 5 total strangers of very different musical backgrounds who came together and everything just fell into place. It was the experience of a lifetime', adds Boudreau.

'Audience response was very validating. I met so many Acadians...and of course I invited them all to Nova Scotia for next summer's Congr�s mondial acadien!!'

The next musical stops for Boudreau include a show at Louisbourg Playhouse (her 3rd this season), and her debut performance at Celtic Colours International Festival. - The Reporter - Port Hawkesbury, NS

Will it never end. Just when you thought you had heard the best new Cape Breton singer, along comes Delores Boudreau from Isle Madame and changes everything.

Boudreau's debut CD, me, my Self & moi, arrived in the mail this week, thanks to Silver Donald Cameron in D'Escousse. I put it in the CD player. I'm glad I did.

Boudreau sings with as sweet a voice as ever sprang from the soil of that Island of sweet singers. Her performance style is poised and confident, her pitch and diction true and clear, and her back-up musicians - they deserve a paragraph to themselves.

Boudreau knows the best: Richard Woods on fiddle and Natalie MacMaster too, on two tracks; Tom Roach on cabasa, djembe and drums, Lisa MacDougall on keyboard and back-up vocal, Rik Barron on banjo, and reigning over them all, guitarist, whistleblower, percussionist, mandolinist, synthesizer player and arranger Kevin Evans.

The band alone sells the disc, except that without Boudreau's lilt and sparkle they would have the heat but not the sunshine.

The moi of the title is neither corny nor cutesy - of the 13 tracks, five are in French. Two include Gaelic verses, and the songlist balances traditional songs, many of them delightfully unfamiliar, with the original songwriting of Boudreau and others.

In style, Boudreau leans toward country, though few country songs abandon broken down trucks and heartache for the philosophical Boudreau original I Am More (I have a body, but I am more ...) which reaches beyond feminism to speak of the inner life familiar to us all.

Simplicity with a country lilt, and an occasional trick of turning up the final syllable in a phrase, like a dimple appearing at the end of a smile, grace Boudreau's delivery of a lyric.

She sings Parisian French with an Acadian accent - a little nasal, a little flattening of vowels, hard "rs" and sharpened "ees", but she never sacrifices clarity.

She can be witty too. In her Les Blues de l'Acadie she bemoans the distances that cut Acadian lovers from different communities off from each other. If you need to see your lover's face, you can look at a photo, she says (in French). If you want to see them in person, you have to win the lotto.

This is an impressive first CD. Boudreau sings like a veteran with a half-dozen CDs in her back-catalogue. - The Sunday Herald - October 20, 2002, Halifax, NS

Delores has been nomination for 'Francophone Artist of the year' by the Music Association of Nova Scotia (MIANS). For more information, visit the MIANS website

- MIANS website

Delores has been nominated for 2 awards by the Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia (MIANS) for: 'Female Artist' and 'Folk/Roots Artist'. For more information, please visit www.mians.ca

- www.mians.ca

Maritime Television & Production Services is pleased to announce that the French language production entitled « Patrimoine mondial au bord de la mer » will be broadcast on Radio-Canada Television, Wednesday March 17th, at 7:00 pm.

The UNESCO “World Heritage” designation of Old Town Lunenburg is the focus of this program and traces through song, music, dance and mini documentaries the aspects of that “World Heritage” designation. The program traces the history of the peoples who have lived in this area since before the arrival of Europeans, including the Mi’kmaq, Acadians, and the Foreign Protestants. Rediscover the age of sail, the fishing industry, and it’s impact on the unique architecture of the town. You’ll also learn about some of the superstitions that impacted that architecture.

The program features performances by Nova Scotian artists: La Baie en Joie, Delores Boudreau, Kate Adams, Dan McKinnon, Don Osburn, and the Ernst family from Lunenburg.

Discover something about Lunenburg you just may not have known.

Yvonne Mosley - Producer,
Maritime Television and Production Services - Maritime Television & Production Services

Showcases were announced this week at the Majestic Theatre in St John's, NL for the 2004 East Coat Music Awards. Among the list of showcase winners was Delores Boudreau! Delores was chosen to perform for 2 Showcases, at the "Roots Room Acoustic" and "Acadian Stage". For a complete list of showcase winners, please visit ecma.ca

- ecma.ca