Perhaps Terrance Simien’s most adventuresome sonic statement yet, Across The Parish Line is an examination of a 25-year career as an internationally recognized zydeco front man. In a literal sense, the aptly chosen title refers to Simien’s early days when geographical boundaries were increasingly crossed as his audience base expanded. At the same time, the daring St. Landry Parish native hurdled over musical boundaries as well by incorporating reggae, funk, rock and soulful ballads into his culturally ingrained zydeco—long before such genre-bending fusions became fashionable. Such craftiness garnered thumbs up from many a high-profile artist outside the zydeco kingdom, a short list including Marcia Ball and Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo, who guest here on vocals on a couple of recently recorded tracks. “Twilight,” one of Simien’s favorite songs from the Band, was recorded with Band members Garth Hudson and the late Rick Danko in 1999, the same year of the bassist’s untimely death. “You Used To Call Me,” a track from the then 19-year-old accordionist’s debut single, resurfaces here with Paul Simon’s multi-part, multi-tracked harmonies.

The guests’ participation speaks volumes about Simien’s art, which explores his complex Creole heritage. The tuneful, Bob Marley-inspired “You Should Know Your Way By Now” answers the oft-asked question of what exactly is a Creole, with Simien singing, “Our people have been here for over 300 years, French, African, Spanish and Native-American / all colors in one.” From there, the roots of the Creole nation are tied in with several Caribbean-flavored selections anchored by keyboardist Danny Williams’ simulated steel pan drum sounds. The Latin part of the Creole equation is recognized with “Cómo Vivré, Mi Cholita,” in which Simien and Hidalgo croon in Spanish on Cuban protest singer Pedro Luis Ferrer’s saucy composition.

While life is certainly celebrated on Across the Parish Lines, Simien also honors the victims of 2005’s hurricane devastation with a pair of apropos songs. Granted, “Louisiana 1927” was practically omnipresent on the airwaves last year with groups everywhere dusting off the Randy Newman classic. Now, a year later, Simien’s gripping rendition has to be one of the best yet. Simien’s gut-wrenching vocals and chilling vibrato make the oft-repeated line, “They’re trying to wash us away” nightmarishly real. Although Bob Dylan’s “Mississippi” wasn’t written with a natural catastrophe in mind, everything fits a day in the life of a nomadic evacuee attempting to reassemble a disheveled life.

Zydeco remains at the core of Simien’s musical DNA, but his treatment of it continues to be progressive and innovative. On “Ta Pa Gonne Avec Ca,” Simien whips things into a hypnotic, mantra-chanting frenzy before exploding into the song’s riff. The opening and closing tracks hint at where zydeco’s headed next: an ancient-sounding accordion surrounded by an avalanche of hip-hop beats, Jamaican dub echo, African vocals, and looping and sampling that would be at home in a Parisian discotheque. With this crowning achievement in hand, Simien’s reign of creativity is far from over.