Long before Steve Riley envisioned the Cajun super group Racines, Mamou Playboys’ drummer Kevin Dugas had a similar idea: model a topnotch band after the Belton Richard/Aldus Roger ensembles of the ’60s featuring twin fiddles and heavy steel guitar. Dugas didn’t settle for any crew of all-stars but those who best fit the concept including vocalist/fiddler Jamey Bearb, who many feel is the modern day vocalist stylistically closest to Belton, and steel ace Richard Comeaux, formerly of the homegrown, major-label country group River Road. While Riley would be the obvious choice for the accordion chair, for the first half of this live affair he plays lush, twin fiddles with Bearb while 23-year-old hotshot Jason Bergeron rips on the box. Bergeron and Riley swap axes for the second half, providing an interesting contrast between Bergeron’s aggressive approach and Riley’s reliance on finesse.

The proceedings rock and swing like crazy, practically exploding out of the chute with the opening instrumental “Aces Rock” (Richard’s theme song). The twin fiddle combo is often overpowering while Comeaux slathers on the steel for some jaw-dropping rides. Since much of this was Richard inspired, it makes sense that many of these selections were either his compositions or at least a part of his repertoire. Wisely, High Performance avoided the obvious hits and embraced lesser-known gems such as “Along the River” and “I’ll Always Take Care of You” that are graced by pretty melodies.

Still, Richard isn’t the disc’s only honoree. Dugas also wanted to give a few tunes of his father Nolan a second life. The septuagenarian Dugas capably croons two of them (“Broken Family Waltz,” “Married to One, In Love with Another”). Afterwards, he remarks, “When I wrote that song 50 years ago, I didn’t know I would be playing with such good musicians,” thereby issuing the understatement of the year.