Of all of the musicians to have crossed the Sabine from Texas into our great state in recent times, possibly the strongest impact on fans and musicians alike has come from accordion player Corey “Lil Pop” Ledet and fiddler Cedric Watson. Although each has made an impression touring on their own — Watson with the Pine Leaf Boys and Corey as “Lil Pop” Ledet — they bring their talents together on this unique album with a mixture of full band tracks, classic duets and stripped-down solo numbers that pay homage to Creole idols like Clifton Chenier, Canray Fontenot and John Delafose while showing off the skills that have taken them around the U.S. and subsequently all over the world.

The title and leading track, penned by producer/engineer Joel Savoy, is a full-band hopping zydeco number featuring Watson and Ledet working seamlessly together, trading leads between fast but smooth accordion runs and flailing fiddle lines. As a duet, they lay into a rendition of John Delafose’s “Broken Hearted”highlighting Ledet’s strong rhythm and Watson’s wailing second fiddle which together groove more heavily than most full band versions of this tune. Later, Ledet steps out on a rendition of “Black Snake” with simply a drummer and scrubboard similar to Clifton Chenier’s original version. Watson takes his own turn on a Chenier classic with his solo version of “Ma Negresse” and the dirty blues that comes out of his moaning vocals and fiery fiddle cut harder than most accordions or guitars ever could.

While this album takes a lot from classic Creole legends, it captures the skills and character of these two young men as accomplished musicians in their own right.