The Revelers

High above the swamp of recent recordings by Cajun and zydeco artists, sits The Revelers’ self-produced, debut album, thanks to an irresistible blend of classic country blues and Top 40 radio material, strained through a bayou-encrusted filter. Made up of founding members of the Red Stick Ramblers and The Pine Leaf Boys, The Revelers have accompanied musicians ranging from Natalie Merchant to Mamadou Diabaté.

The album features an array of Cajun-infused rock’n’roll and swamp pop tunes, such as Jewell & the Rubies’ ‘Kidnapper’ and ‘If You Ain’t Got Love’ by Revelers guitarist Charles Justus, along with more traditional dance numbers like ‘J’avais L’habitude’ and ‘La Jolie Fleur Dubois’, both penned by accordionist and fiddler Blake Miler. If you’ve ever been nagged by the feeling that all Cajun and zydeco music was starting to sound a bit too much like the same old thing, The Revelers will toss that notion back on your ears. This is Louisiana-bred party music, sustained by the sonorous signature of its native milieu, but perked up by an injection of contemporary pop, rock and R&B.