Granted, Cajun-Creole cultural children’s music has never been given a lot of attention, which, along with the sub-genre’s scant discography, explains why it has remained a relatively untapped phenomenon. Along come the Magnolia Sisters whose Jane Vidrine and Ann Savoy devoted a year’s worth of research into these tunes that have all but faded from memory before waxing them as a group. Sum it all up and it’s a mouthful — a folkloric treasure trove of stunningly gorgeous songs with origins that draw from Acadiana, 18th and 19th Century Creole New Orleans, and French Canada. Besides being a cultural preservation effort, Lapin, Lapin also serves as a French language educational vehicle for school-age children. Amazingly, the Sisters never dumb the music down and record the sort of inane renditions often found in children’s music recordings. Instead, they deliver home-style, grit-and-soul arrangements loaded with depth and discovery.

It’s not your standard accordion-fiddle fare either. “Misi Maziro,” an inspiration for “Colinda,” features a funky honking accordion, a litany of starts and stops and percussion courtesy of household noisemakers. “J’ai Passes au Long du Bois,” learned from balladeer Edius Naquin, has an archaic fiddle riff that creates a mild drone tension. With guest pianist Wilson Savoy, two songs (“Laissez Moi S’en Aller,” “La Caille et la Perdrix”) are a clever blend of Cajun and ivory-pumped Acadian music. The musical intelligence and adventurousness those choices represent dominate Lapin, Lapin. Constantly germinating, blossoming and flourishing on all levels, the Magnolia Sisters remain an indispensable cultural asset.