From the jump start, Passion comes on as ear-opening. Although in the music business for some 30 years, Baton Rouge vocalist and pianist Rusty Yates isn’t exactly a household name.

Therefore, he and his seven-piece band’s soul-kicking entrance on “Rectify” were, to be truthful, surprising. One good thing leads to another and that idiom holds true on the next, heartfelt ballad, “Cryin Cryin Cryin” and even more amazingly throughout most of the album. Okay, who is this guy and where is this material coming from?

Yates was born into a musical family and his father was a gospel singer. That gospel is in the vocalist’s background explains his soul-drenched and laid-back, yet-intense, delivery on each song.

And the material? Except for the first cut, which he wrote with his brother Jeff Yates, all the songs are Rusty’s and there’s not a weak one in the dozen. Realizing Yates’ talent as a songwriter was similar to first hearing the late, great Rockie Charles’ compositions on his 1996 album Born for You—the lyrics and melodies are at once new and unique and like old friends.

That’s a mix that’s hard to beat and difficult to achieve. Passion delivers the promise of its title.