Like the jazz tradition in New Orleans and zydeco music’s in South Louisiana, many of the current blues artists that from Baton Rouge are second, and even third generation musicians. Not only is Kenny Neal the oldest son of blues harp legend Raful Neal, but also each of his siblings has pursued careers as a musician (brother Noel has played bass with Bobby Bland on-and-off for years). A descendent of the “Excello generation,” Kenny grew up playing the late Slim Harpo’s guitar behind his father in local clubs. The acorn doesn’t fall much closer to the tree than that. His best release to date, Neal has created an instant modern blues classic with Hooked on Your Love, combining tradition with the 21st Century. The title track is a beaut. It has a classic, early 1980s Malaco sound, and the song would surely have been a chitlin’ circuit hit had Z.Z. Hill got his paws on it 30 years ago. Other worthy originals include “Bitter with the Sweet,” a clever reminder where the journey through life takes one. Ditto the chugging “New Lease on Life” and the sharp shuffle “You Don’t Love Me.”

The handful of enjoyable covers—O.V. Wright’s “Blind, Crippled and Crazy,” Little Milton’s “If Walls Could Talk,” Bobby Bland’s “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do” and Spencer Wiggins’ “Old Friend” (This song has been covered a lot lately)—lead to an interesting sidebar. These are the blue-collar blues Neal was surrounded by since he was a toddler, and unlike many of his contemporaries, he hasn’t turned his back on them. Very highly recommended. Hooked on Your Love belongs at the top of a short list of this year’s essential purchases.