Little Wooden Box

Although Wayne Toups named his band Zydecajun, his sound has as much Southern rock and blue-eyed soul in it as it does traditional Cajun and zydeco. When he sings in English, as he does on "Oh Louisiana" and "Southern Girls," with its Lynyrd Skynyrd-inspired twin lead guitar solos, he reduces the Cajun quotient to a couple of obligatory accordion fills and comes across as just another singer in a Gulf Coast bar band. But when he sings in French on songs such as "Les Filles de la Ville" and "Tous les Temps en Temps," he lets his accordion lead the band and he creates a rollicking sound that is unmistakably Cajun. The music of Wayne Toups and Zydecajun is not for the purist, but at their best they play a uniquely swampy brand of Louisiana party music. --Michael Simmons