A power vocalist recalling elements of Sam Cooke, Luther Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass, blue-eyed soul singer Gregg Martinez’s strength is in slow, emotion-drenching ballads where he can just let it rip at certain points during a song. But a whole album of that would be tough for most ears, which is one of Creole Soul’s strong points―a better balanced set of songs compared to 2011’s South of the Parish Line. The arrangements are full and rich, often boasting horns and a dollop of steel guitar and accordion, in addition to keys, guitar and rhythm section. Poppin’ tunes like Fats Domino’s “When I’m Walking” and Louisiana-themed songs “Bayou Girl” and “Fais Do Do“ are great party fodder while Merle Haggard’s swaggering “Today I Started Loving You Again” will keep ’em on the dance floor.

Yet, the meat of this album is in the emotive vocals; as evidenced by stirring performances of Bobby Charles’ “I Don’t Want to Know” and the Linda Ronstadt-popularized “Love Has No Pride.” While Martinez is a soulful interpreter, he’s also developing nicely as a writer with a gamut of styles on four originals. His performance on “After All of This Time” is comparable to “Love Has No Pride,” largely because he pulls you into the desperation and angst that torments his protagonist. On “Into the Hands,” he speaks to letting go of a loved one into the afterlife. It’s so moving you can’t listen to it often and remain dry-eyed.