Charivari’s Mitch Reed says they’re still the big dogs of Cajun music and his assessment of the Grammy Award winning BeauSoleil couldn’t be more accurate. For decades now, America’s preeminent Cajun band BeauSoleil has not only introduced their infectious French music worldwide but has evangelized countless first-time listeners into becoming lifelong devotees. Ask a Cajun music fan who planted those initial, formative seeds and chances are the enthusiastic reply will be BeauSoleil. No doubt they’re a cultural institution possessing a rich, deep history and an encyclopedic discography.

With such a discography, there’s bound to be a few repackaged collections spread out on various labels. Yet, the beauty of this one is that it’s primarily concentrated within a four-year, mid-’80s time frame, thereby providing a realistic snapshot of this chapter of their longevity. With most of the selections stemming from the studio albums Bayou Boogie and Bayou Cadillac as well as the phenomenal Live! From the Left Coast, undoubtedly these scintillating 17 tracks are some of the fieriest BeauSoleil ever recorded. From Bayou Boogie, slide guitar king Sonny Landreth torches it up on “Maman Rosin Boudreaux” and the professorial fiddlin’ frontman Michael Doucet is just out of his mind on his signature “Zydeco Gris Gris.” “Jongle a Moi” stomps with ecstasy; the acoustically rendered “Chez Seychelles” waltzes liltingly with soulful mandolin playing.

Next up was Cadillac that showcased BeauSoleil’s uncanny ability to meld tradition with the border-hopping progressive tunes and do it tastefully. Doucet’s bowing on the rag-style Bunk Johnson tribute is freakin’ electrifying while “Cochon de Lait” (an adaptation of Tommy Jarrell’s “Sail Away Ladies”) gallops away with innovative percussive rappings. They reach way back with easy riding traditional song “Macaque Sur Mon Dos” that was first recorded by the Alley Boys of Abbeville in the ’30s. Besides capably handling vocals here, David Doucet blitzes a few monster, impeccably accurate flatpicking runs.

And then there’s the tunes from the ever mind-blowing Live! album replete with no overdubs that ranks among the best live performances ever waxed. The energy and the inspiration felt here, especially that of Nathan Abshire’s “Pine Grove Blues” and Walter Mouton’s poppin’ “Scott Playboy Special” (titled as “Cajun Groove”) may never be matched again quite like this. It’s virtually priceless. Totally awesome stuff, this baby’s got sauce.