By the time its all said and done, Cameron Dupuy should be on every list of top Cajun accordionists of all time. The eponymously titled debut from his band, the Cajun Troubadours, goes a long way in stating that case. Over half of the 15 tracks are instrumentals showcasing the seven-time accordion champ’s uncanny monster prowess and brilliant playing that brims with technique and inventive ways yet otherwise unimagined.
The roots of this project were seeded in 2010 with “Troubadour Twirl,” the first song the then 12-year-old Cameron and his father, Michael (acoustic guitarist/bass), wrote together. For being such an embryonic composition, they nailed it. The tune’s circular sensation lends itself to images of gleefully smiling, whirling dervish dancers who would dance forever if possible.
Listening to Cameron’s accordion playing makes you wonder if there are any limits. During “Dupuy Special,” he seemingly takes off and just starts flying as if liberated from some unseen, binding force. His reading of “Old Crowley Two-Step,” the precursor to Walter Mouton’s “Scott Playboy Special,” is impeccable, if not exhilarating and he loves tricky, syncopated rhythms. In that vein, there is the blasting “New Orleans French Accordion Mambo” featuring more of his inhumanly playing, and Shorty LeBlanc’s “My Little Cabbage.” The latter alternates between Cameron’s time-shifting mambo shuffle, a bluesy guitar solo, a scorching fiddle ride, and crashing jazz piano for a delightful, yet exhaustive listen.
While Cameron’s often the focal point, he is not the entire show. Fiddler Beau Thomas proves to be his soul mate with equally torrid playing while Michael sings Cajun waltzes “Let Me Stay in Your Arms” and “Forgive Me Tonight” as if he were incubated in a Southwest Louisiana dancehall.
Yet, the Dupuys make it clear that they are not solely emulating their prairie Cajun brethren. The New Orleans natives also capitalize on their Crescent City environs, which accounts for the mambos, the funky rendition of Carl Perkins’ “Lion in the Jungle” and area musicians like (father and son) Cranston (guitar) and Tyler Clements (piano/B3 organ) who also have a big presence here. Bluegrass instrumental “Cherry Jubilee” and honky-tonk weeper “I Never (Shed a Tear)” fit perfectly into their format with much more life than their original counterparts.
Though it’s often a high-octane affair, “Baby Please Don’t Go” is off the rails with Cameron staging a clinic with sprinting scales, dizzying trills, and mashing keys. Zydeco icon John Delafose’s “Broken Hearted” isn’t that explosive but it’s a throwdown that ascends to a suspenseful apex. Fun stuff no matter where the needle drops.
