On his eighth overall and sixth in a series of quality releases, Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys aren’t about to turn in some lackluster dud. With nearly a year painstakingly invested in the recording process alone, several of these carefully crafted tracks rank among the finest Naquin has ever waxed, especially given the standout renditions of “Kaplan Waltz” and Belton Richard’s shuffling “Musician’s Paradise.” Newest members Pat Stebbins and Tommy Bodin and returning alum Ashley Hayes have a lot to do with the band’s invigorated sound. Stebbins brings a lead/slide guitar rock/blues presence, and Bodin distinguishes himself on several old style numbers with throbbing one-note bass pulses while Hayes is industrious as ever with her infectious, yet relentless rhythm guitar.

So, with these horses, it shouldn’t come as a shock that this is also Naquin’s most diverse affair yet, one that strays out of the dancehall pocket into some riveting zydecajun, John Delafose zydeco, soul-melting swamp pop and a Bobby Charles staple (“Tennessee Blues”) that brims with emotion. One of the disc’s coolest moments occurs when Dennis McGee’s “Adieu Rose” segues into BeBe Carriere’s “Blue Runner” for one kicking, long jam.

If the album ended with only a dozen tracks, it’d be a tidy package, but Naquin threw in a few novelty tracks to show he can compete with the rowdy bar bands. The clucking Saints rapper is fun although the jury is still out on the juxtaposition of Amédé Ardoin’s “Amédé Two-Step” with the Allman Brothers-popularized “No Way Out.” Surprisingly, it works musically but combining a cornerstone of Cajun music with a vestige of classic rock seems, at least conceptually, somewhat jarring. In another sense, it’s not really new either. Cajuns have always borrowed and blended into their music.

But what’s the most requested song of the album you ask? Ironically, it’s an old-style instrumental from Naquin’s great-grandfather Hadley Fontenot titled “Fontenot’s Jig.” With its two distinct melodic phrasings, it’s almost worth the price of admission alone. Rock ’n’ roll may keep the party stoked but it’s trad that still rules.