“Stripped Down" OFFBEAT’S TOP 40 CDS OF 2009 - Offbeat magazine

“The Sisters cover a lot of ground stylistically—lively fiddle duets, feathery finger picking, Calypso beats, honking squeezebox bass notes that blossom into full-tilt twosteps and dead-on, muted guitar barre chords. There are examples of Creole-style accordion versus the more ornamented Cajun variety, the combining of like melodies for a new version of an old, obscure song (“Point Clear Blues”) and tunes that exhibit a raw, primal groove including Clarence Garlow’s “Bon temps rouler.”

“Stripped Down" - Victory Review

“Female voices on Cajun melodies and harmonies are a rare treat.... This is my favorite CD this month. If you want a study in rhythm, Cajun or just something to sachet around the house to- and if your wife asks can we buy that one, then you too would highly recommend this CD. ”

- Offbeat magazine

“Imagine , if you will, a group of Brigadoon-like women playing as long as the Hackberry Ramblers except they never aged( or got wrinkly) and that’s an apt description of their pure, old timey sound...No French group has ever sung harmonies like they do-Savoy and Vidrine are masters at melding their voices
together, then gracefully creating tension between the notes. Chers Amis has riches enough to make one a spiritual millionaire several times over and that is our final answer.”

- Dirty Linen 1995

"A fascinating new CD in the latter vein forgrounds the perspective of women...Now Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine are continuing the tradition of women playing fine Cajun music, and allowing modern sensibilities to free them from performing only with their husbands...... One of the best things about this disc is the marvelous vocal blend achieved by Savoy and Vidrine. Gentler and slower than the quick-paced dancehall music that makes up the bulk of
the Cajun repertoire, these songs let you listen more to the voices and the words.

- Folk Roots

“Between them, the Sisters play accordeon, fiddle, guitar, triangle and rubboard, all with such ease and sensitivity....the singing style is pure Acadien, and the result is something the McGarrigles or Malicorne would surely envy.”

- Berkeley Express

“Their fresh and ardent voices, intertwined in heart-rending harmonies and accompanied by accordion, fiddle, guitar,
and triangle, add a special tinge to the traditional songs of this historically male-dominated music. ”

- Rock ‘n’ Reel

“Higlights, well, apart from the delightful harmonies and pure lead vocal entries, it isn’t short of instrumental prowess-with accomplished entries on accordion, fiddle and rhythm/lead guitar. “Prends Courage”, with it’s standard fare of Savoy’s lilting French vocals, accordion and triangle in the background, you couldn’t have wished for a finer cut for the track venture’s titled piece.”

- Victory Review

“The singing is absolutely gorgeous and the instrumental work is right on the money. The notes include the lyrics with translations. This is how it’s done “sans pretention, n’est-ce pas?”

- Country Music People

“On D. L. Menard’s Il Savait Pas J’Etais Mariee, they use just two guitars and their delicate treatment creates a sound akin to Sara and Maybelle Carter, and the half-French, half-English version of Braille Pas, Jolis Tits Yeux Bleus could have been a Carter Family recording from the Decca years.... On the other hand, on the haunting Sur Le Bord De L’Eau, the short unaccompanied Je Voudrais Bien Me Marrier, Mais... and another unaccompanied duet, Derriere Chez Nous, they remind me of Sarah and Ritas Keane, two traditional Irish singers.... However, when the Sisters turn to Iry LeJeune’s Grand Nuit Special, supported by Ann’s intense accordion playing, they could be nothing but Cajun.This album demonstrates how people can still record traditional music in a pure way by absorbing themselves in a living tradition.”

“Top record of the Year 1995" - In Tune

“ Perhaps one of the pleasant suprises of 1995 is an all women’s group known as the Magnolia Sisters, a talented bunch with no shortange of original ideas...Perhaps the most salient are their breath-taking, lilting harmonies
camposed by Vidrine... “Jane knows a note that gives it an edge, creating a tension that’s real soulful in a song,” said Savoy.... Soulful Cajun music with a woman’s heart....”

- Festival International de Louisiane

“Stylistically, the Sisters define theirs as old-timey traditional, recalling an era prior to the advent of electric bass and drums. Perhaps the most salient are their breath-taking, lilting harmonies. Along with the gripping harmonies, multiple instruments, and a female viewpoint, the band includes old ballads from Arcadia and France in their repertoire.”

- Le Cri du Coyote

“Tout comme leurs voix, claires (repetons-le: c’est une benediction actuellement d’avoir enfin des chanteurs louisianais au vocal completement comprehensible!) s’harmonisent parfaitement, il en va de meme pour l’accompagnement. "

(Translation) "All is like their voices - clear, perfectly in harmony, and the same goes to say for the accompaniment.”

- Trad Mag - France

“Les Magnolia Sisters s’ecartent des sentiers battus et savent rester fraiches meme lorsqu’ elles se parfument a 'Jolie blonde' ”