With the ongoing revival of Cajun music, there’s nothing earth-shattering about a competent accordionist who happens to be in his mid-20s. Unless you factor in Ryan Brunet, that is. He doesn’t hail from the prairies of Southwest Louisiana, the territorial hot bed of traditionalism, but Vin Bruce’s bayou country, where decent traditional players number in the handfuls. Through constant practicing and listening to Nathan Abshire recordings around the clock as an adolescent, Brunet learned his accordion well. He’s one of the cleanest, most precise players to come along recently, nailing notes and runs without any overplaying or annoying valve clicking.

Most selections are traditional. A handful were written by or associated with Abshire, including “The Life of a Musician,” in which Brunet capably feels the sentiment of the song. He’s joined by a couple of Lost Bayou Ramblers, Alan LaFleur on doghouse bass and Andre Michot on lap steel, so any LBR comparisons aren’t that far off the mark.

Unlike many modern Cajun dancehall recordings, there are no drums. LeFleur’s rattling rockabilly thump and Michot’s striking off beats keep the timing in check and on course. Whereas most traditional Cajun recordings rely on the proverbial accordion-fiddle tandem, Michot plays a huge role with his glides and slides, echoing melody lines and providing harmonic chimes, besides occasionally making the strings buzz (“Pop Corn Blues”). It’s not your typical Cajun dance band steel guitar, stylistically it’s of the 1940s vintage when Cajun music was practically a Francophone extension of western swing. Wonderful stuff, worth checking out.