Anyone possessing a Cajun music sensibility realizes Belton Richard still towers as one of the genre’s monumental figures. A superstar if there ever was one, Richard was never one to placate a crowd. Yet, given his steadfast, uncompromising spirit, he supplied Cajun music a much-needed facelift in the late ’50s. With the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, he introduced the electric bass and pioneered the big band sound with more complex arrangements. Though translating country songs wasn’t exactly new then, Richard utilized this technique heavily by singing cherished songs in the people’s language. When others released singles with a two-step on one side and a mourning waltz on the other, Richard daringly coupled waltzes. He incorporated swamp pop (then known as rock ‘n’ roll), yet always crooned in French. While his compositions remain a vital part of the repertoire, Richard’s powerful, peerless voice will be what’s first and foremost remembered.

Though these days Richard’s coiffure may be more silver than coal, his magnificent voice is still intact, able to unleash that signature Belton belt in seconds flat. With an exemplary cast of musicians including steel alum Rodney Miller, they tackle the barstool weeper “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and jerk a tiger’s tail (the Buck Owens staple) out of its socket. A half-dozen originals practically bear the stamp “future classic” (“What You Did With My Life,” “God Will Come For You”) with the majority being stomping waltzes that allow a Louisiana Purchase worth of expression. Kickin’ numbers “Dancehall Two Step” and “Knock Knock Knock” demonstrate how Cajun music is not a pretty and sittin’ around dainty thing but a get-after-it, all out bleeding knuckles slugfest. The last three tunes, Shirley Bergeron’s “J’ai Fait Mon I’dée,” and Lawrence Walker’s “Midnight Waltz” and “Reno Waltz,” unabashedly rival anything Richard has ever waxed. Here, the disc’s wine metaphor title says it all but it’s still wrong. It’s champagne, actually.