Solo records from a band frontman are usually interesting propositions since they often have something to say beyond their normal band framework. Such was the case with BeauSoleil’s Michael Doucet’s 1989 Beau Solo effort. Not only did it showcase guitar-accompanied fiddle tunes sans “His Highness” the accordion, it served as a reminder that Cajun music was once fiddle-centric before German immigrants introduced the loud little box to Cajun country in the 19th Century.

Roll the clock forward and two decades later, Doucet hands in another provocative thesis that’ll likely rattle anyone whose rigid viewpoint of Cajun music must include an accordion. A handful of solo tunes showcase the fiddle’s intricate, infinite capabilities of artistic expression that can only be realized in the hands of a virtuoso. From the sounds of it, one would have to surmise that once Doucet picked up his wooden apparatus, he continually burrowed into one subconscious level after another since there is an overwhelming feeling of improvisation and spontaneity. On some tunes, he’s a one-man twin fiddler, interweaving high lead melodies with thick, midrange rhythmic seconding. On others, the twin fiddles of Doucet and BeauSoleil bandmate Mitch Reed suggests what Cajun music might have been like if it had been played by classical chamber ensembles. The selections that are the most radical are the handful played on an octave violin, a low and rumbly cello-sounding instrument that’s something more akin to Darol Anger’s progressive string ensembles.

While traditional Cajun tunes comprise roughly two-thirds of the proceedings, the other third shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone familiar with Doucet’s affinity for New Orleans trad jazz and funky R&B staples. Guitarist Todd Duke accompanies Doucet on magical renditions of “St. Louis Blues” and Hoagy Carmichael’s “New Orleans” that are well into the jazz territory of renown violinists Stéphane Grappelli, Joe Venuti and Johnny Frigo. Throughout his career, Doucet has done many intriguing projects, but this has to be one of his hippest yet.