British reissue label Ace has long championed the unique music of South Louisiana, be it zydeco, Cajun or, especially, swamp pop. Step back over two decades ago, when Ace issued the landmark Louisiana Saturday Night collection, which gathered many early swamp pop and Cajun classics. The Revisited release—”24 contemporary zydecajun and swamp pop studio recordings”—is meant to somewhat be the 2013 equivalent. Sadly, it falls well short. While the original collection was exciting and inspired, this one for the most part is lazy and a parody of the music that influenced it. Presenting eight artists—some old school, but mostly young bucks—Travis Matte (who falls somewhere in the middle) gets the show on the road. Including covers of two Chuck Berry rockers, Matte plays energetically but predictably. Even the original “Crawfish Boogie” could have been written by a Church Point fourth grader. The album’s high point clearly is when Ken Marvel’s tracks are positioned next to Jivin’ Gene’s. Marvel has a fine horn-driven sound that’s not exactly swamp pop but it’s the kind of sound that quickly fills the dance floors in South Louisiana. Jivin’ Gene proves here that he’s not stuck in 1960 and his four tracks are marvelous. The straining ballad “I’d Like to Hear from You” is especially compelling, as is “Ain’t No Way,” a bluesy statement of male independence. Sadly, Gene’s contemporary, Warren Storm, seemly is firmly cemented in the 1950s. His four tracks are all poorly chosen “oldies,” songs half-a-century old. Jamie Bergerone is in the mix with the A-1 “You’re Driving Me Crazy” but also the especially annoying “RCA (Registered Coonass),” which contains almost every cliché ever concocted about Cajuns. OffBeat contributor Mike Hurtt and his Haunted Hearts snuck in here with four tracks but, even despite the inclusion of “Come Back To Louisiana,” their sound is closer to Odessa than Opelousas. A new name here is Steve Grisaffe, whose two tracks are impressive, especially the Jerry Lee Lewis-influenced “A Little Bit Of You.” But honestly, this CD falls well short of the mark. In no way is Louisiana Saturday Night Revisited a barometer of the state of the present quality of South Louisiana music, as the area is still a hotbed for “the sound.” I just don’t think Revisited reflects what’s going on over there musically. But Ace—you’re welcome to visit again and again to sample the South Louisiana sound.