Before launching Nu’Edition Zydeko in 2017, Mike Broussard spent years playing guitar and/or bass for Roy Carrier, Keith Frank, Lil’ Nate, Big Nathan, Wayne Singleton and Chris Ardoin. When it came time to record his debut album, Broussard didn’t have to look far and enlisted cousin Koray Broussard, also an established z-artist, as producer. The resultant disc consists of three covers and a staggering baker’s dozen worth of originals that recall ‘90s punchy nouveau zydeco mixed with today’s keyboard-laced modern zydeco. 

As an accordionist, Broussard certainly knows his way around the buttons, deftly alternating between the three-row and single-row varieties. Listen carefully and occasionally he can be surprisingly funny, such as “Creole & Petty” where his blabbermouth ex says he only lasted five minutes with her. On “Follow Me Down,” he describes the ultimate country party with simmering black pots and eating chicken to the bone. ‘You want another glass? / Drink it until you throw up,’ he sings, a line that can blip by faster than a blink of an eye. Still, “Follow Me Down” and the money-grabbing “Up Life/Run It” are where it comes together the best and are the most fun.

What isn’t so fun is hearing Broussard’s straining voice give out on “When a Woman’s Fed Up.” The background vocals of “I Don’t Want” could also be brighter as they are on “Walk Away.” Still, it’s obvious that Broussard has enough tools to be a long term player more than being just a one-shot artist.