Soon after Joe Hall’s Proud to be Creole release dropped in 2021, the torch-bearing Creole music accordionist couldn’t wait to get in the studio again with gifted fiddler Cedric Watson and monster bassist Chuck Bush. As Mélange (mixture) implies, every song is a mixture of sorts. On a cappella singer Inez Catalon’s “Soleil Après Coucher,” Hall fused her lyrics with the melody of Nathan Abshire’s “Met la table.” On “Bosco Stomp,” where the band’s explosive energy could launch a rocket ship, Hall and Watson harmonize like Cajun icon Belton Richard’s version. For Freeman Fontenot’s “Bull et Jack,” Hall stirs Fontenot’s lyrics with the melody from John Delafose’s “My Name is John.” “Mélange,” the title track, is a joyous, bouncy instrumental borrowed from another Fontenot melody sans lyrics. Hall’s “Keep Your Feet on the Ground,” one of two originals heard here, incorporates a Boozoo Chavis one-chord trance vamp with the familiar bluesy riff of Abshire’s immortal “Pine Grove Blues.”

Since Joe Hall’s Creole music philosophy is predicated on having an appreciation for Cajun music, it’s interesting to note that (besides “Bosco Stomp”) “Kaplan Waltz” and “Midnight Playboy Special” are also frequently heard Cajun favorites. Yet, they’re not the straight-up commonly heard dancehall versions. This “Kaplan Waltz” is based on Creole accordionist Nolton Semian’s interpretation of Abshire’s version. “Midnight Playboy Special” comes by the way of Beau Jocque’s “Beau’s Cajun Two Step,” an offshoot of Cajun dancehall stalwart Milton Adams’ signature song. Since these songs are played in the rustic Creole style, they’re fresh and distinct-sounding from their slicker Cajun counterparts.

Best of all, the playing is unbeatably top-notch. Hall and Watson fit together seamlessly, interlocking into a comfortable, natural groove propelled by drummer Paul Lavan’s whipping beats and Bush’s motoring but unobtrusive bass playing. And unlike Proud to be Creole, Mélange is superior in sound quality, with every instrument and vocal evenly balanced, so you’re not straining to hear the fiddle or getting smacked in the face with the bass. No matter how many times this platter gets spun, it never gets tiring.