Every once in awhile it happens ─ the gods of Cajun tap another young group to hoist the banner of traditional Cajun-Creole music and as of late, it’s the Pine Leaf Boys who have been summoned. They’re one of the most talented aggregations to emerge in some time with Creole fiddler Cedric Watson and two progeny from accordion-building families, Wilson Savoy (accordion) and Blake Miller (bass).

Their auspicious debut is not only true to the roots but has the balanced blend veteran groups shoot for. Among the copious ingredients is a proclivity for attacking the music with exuberant passion as well as having three alternating vocalists who each supply a distinct flavoring. Drummer Drew Simon croons in an unadulterated workman style, recalling the forgotten, rustic vocalists who paid their dues without recognition. Watson booms with husky pipes while Savoy isn’t afraid to strain his nasally voice with wrenching emotion (“Blues de Bosco”). Additionally, they also aren’t afraid to alternate multi-instrumentalists who can do twin fiddles with Watson. 

After kicking off with the most rousing two-step in recent memory (“Pine Leaf Boys Two-Step”), they gradually reveal aspects of their personalities with a varied song selection and artistic influences, in addition to the alternating vocalists and fiddlers, that constantly alters the sonic landscape from one tune to the next. The end result is a sum greater than its parts, a collaborative effort done with unrehearsed enthusiasm that’s potentially compelling enough to transform first-time listeners into lifelong converts.

Several songs delve into the Creole side with Watson’s projective vocals and bluesy, weepy slides. A few more contain original lyrics (“Festival Acadien Waltz”) that were adapted to familiar melodies. On “La Valse de Vieux Charpentier,” they drop the dancehall sensibility and dig deeper at the roots of Cajun music with an earthy twin fiddle duet. Add to the equation Savoy’s quaking tremolo and the recording’s analog warmth, the time-removed feeling is a throwback to the way the music sounded like before outsiders discovered it.