Sarah Quintana
Bio
To anyone who says Louisiana music has to sound a certain way. To anyone who’s ever told her to quit or to cut corners. Or to anyone just getting in the way of a good time. The title of New Orleans singer-songwriter Sarah Quintana’s third studio album is her reply: BABY DON’T
I really set out to be myself on this record. And to make Louisiana music my own. What happened was an exercise in trusting my own voice.
Stepping into the role as producer, bandleader and electric guitarist, Quintana set out to make a Louisiana record on her own terms. Having previously worked with artists like Leyla McCalla, Cajun legends, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Kevin Clark of The Nightcrawlers, The Generationals, The Iguanas, Paul Sanchez and French musicians Raphael Imbert and Marion Rampal Quintana’s thought long and hard about what it means to be from New Orleans. For her third full-length studio album, she has made a Louisiana record— her own way. It’s raw, traditional, timelessly cool, played with her friends and family.
Due out on March 28, 2025, BABY DON’T was recorded at the iconic Dockside Studios in Lafayette, Marigny Studios in New Orleans and shotgun-house living rooms across town. It features an all-star lineup that includes some of Quintana’s longtime friends and collaborators — Rex Gregory on saxophone, Louis Michot of the Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers, multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla (Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Grammy-nominated Corey Ledet.
Forging her own sound while paying homage to classic Louisiana artists like Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Shirley & Lee, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Bobby Charles and anything recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in the 50’s, the result is soulful and timeless -–- a swamp-pop version of Shirley and Lee’s “Let the Good Times Roll,” old-timey tunes like “Be My Love,” complete with a traditional jazz tailgate, a cajun two step (“Bump in the Road”), French blues (“Tout Mon Coeur and Rolling and Tumbling”) and several, highly-addictive, upbeat originals (“Just Because” and “Baby, Don’t”).
“I live in a Louisiana music bubble and I love it! On any given day, I could be singing standards, cajun dancing, speaking French, or sharing a bill with my own New Orleans music idols.” Quintana says. “It helps to be surrounded by talented, supportive people like my band — Rex, Rose, Chris and Jurzak.”
“BABY DON’T is my own take on what Louisiana music and culture is about. We’re ceaselessly creative, we have eac other and we know how to have a good time!”
