Gayla, Gumbo Rodeo (Independent)


South Louisiana musical fusions seem endless. Wayne Toups amalgamated the frontal attack of Cajun music with the backbeats of zydeco to birth zydecajun; Horace Trahan dropped out of zydeco only to return with a hybrid he dubbed “zyde-reggae.” On Gumbo Rodeo, Gayla LeJeune has devised a sort of “zyde-country” — an accordion-fueled, fiddle-fired take on contemporary country music. Since her 2002 debut, the vocals of the Eunice native (who has since moved to New Orleans) have become perkier, spunkier and certainly sexier, as “Fire and Gasoline” attests. Several songs like the snappy “Too Bad, So Sad” and “Been There, Done That” would stand up well to the poppier side of mainstream country radio, and LeJeune cut her stomping rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots” included here well before Jessica Simpson cut hers. The prevalent theme of the Gayla gala is the South Louisiana identity, as heard on the rollicking “Fat Tuesday” and the French-sung “Mon Coeur T’Appelle” and “Lou’siana Bayou and You.” With producer Max Fontenot’s engineering/arranging acumen and the stellar crew of supporting musicians, expect more boiling and bucking from this gumbo rodeo.