Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée

Hailing from Quebec, where they formed in 1976, La Bottine Souriante have gone on to sell half a million records across 12 releases and garner dozens of awards and along the way. The name means ‘smiling boot, a reference to the worn-out soles of a working man's footwear. The 11-strong line-up features a weighty brass section, as well as violin, mandolin, guitar, keyboards, double bass, a percussive dancer, and three lead vocalists. They're a Québécois Bellowhead in the way they combine traditional music with funk, jazz, salsa and world music in a highly energetic and sophisticated set of arrangements. The verve with which they tackle the Franco-Celtic music of North America certainly has close parallels with the English folk big band; both are known for their brilliant spectacle of a live set.

Appellation D'Origine Contrôlée has 12 tracks, with an emphasis on traditional songs and reels plumped up by big-band arrangements. The opener, ‘Cette Bouteille-là’ (This Bottle) sets forth with slap bass and foot percussion, funk guitar chords, and multiple rhythms over which the brass section blasts welcome notes. Then the call-and-response vocals of a heavy drinkers' song come in, toasting the devil in the drink and concluding with a reel dedicated to a corked bottle of wine.

You long for a bit of breathing space at times, but their restless energy and inventiveness never let up. With the high reputation of Québécois bands such as Le Vent Du Nord and Genticorum having spread across the Atlantic, La Bottine Souriante look dead set on joining the party.