Producer Ann Savoy's goal for Evangeline Made was to demonstrate the affection of popular artists for Cajun music.[1] She enlisted various pop performers along with members of BeauSoleil, her own group with her husband accordionistMarc Savoy and fiddlerMichael Doucet of the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band, as well as other musicians to "renew and extend Cajun tradition rather than simply re-create it".[2]
Music critic Richie Unterberger, writing for AllMusic, rated the album 4 of 5 stars, writing: "The production is understated and sympathetic, as it's neither hardcore Cajun music nor Cajun music that's been bleached into pop… Purists might find this something of a sellout, a dilution of the real and rawer thing for ears unaccustomed to the real deal. Perhaps they have viable points, but here's a fact which might be hard for them to face: this simply has much more variety, skillful singing, and thoughtful, pleasing production than most Cajun records do, without compromising the spirit of the music."[3]
Writing for No Depression, Don McLeese called the album "musical interplay so soulful and vibrant it transcends the language barrier." and avers the collection "honors the music not as a folk purist’s artifact, but as a living dynamic. Not one of the fourteen cuts seems less than a labor of love"[2]
Music critic Mike Warren reviewed the album for The Pitch and of the songs, wrote, "Because they're in French, and because they're sexy as hell, the songs have an air of sultry mystery that's part of the best Cajun music."[4]
