How eerie is it that I would be listening to a CD entitled Power of the Ponchartain for the first time and reading about LSU great Marquise Hill drowning in that very lake? Benoit, who’s got Louisiana’s LeRoux onboard here, covers plenty of musical bases on Power of the Ponchartrain as he continues to champion wetland restoration. He comes out of the chute with “Don’t Make No Sense,” a slab of funky, Memphis-styled blues à la Albert King, complete with piercing guitar. The coy, “Good to Ya, Baby,” contains the kind of message a lot of guys would like to relate to their exes. On the other hand, perhaps the funky title track is supposed to be hypnotic, but I find it repetitive.

Far move powerful is, “Shelter Me,” a song by Buddy and Julie Miller that pleas for help in Christian terms, but it’s hard not to hear it the ghost of the storm in it. Similarly, Benoit’s unique treatment of the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth” sounds as relevant today as it was in the 1960s. Benoit underscores that when he sings, “Can’t help my people in need / muddy water in the streets.”

The rest of the CD is far less political as Benoit address the subject of love, fishing and love. Speaking of love, listeners will love Benoit/LeRoux’s get down groove on “Addicted,” a song that really has impact. Power of the Pontchartrain might be Benoit’s best yet. Can tell I’m more than a trifle impressed with this one?