Inquiring minds are never satisfied, an M.O. that certainly fits Renaissance Cadienne. In their 17-year-existence, the Lafayette-based Cajun folkloric troupe directed by Dr. May Waggoner has uncovered a lot, ancient songs, forgotten dances but until now, never traditional Christmas and seasonal fare that is as culturally core as any secular merrymaking. While renditions of familiar classics will likely please meat-and-potatoes listeners, Renaissance Cadienne is more about the unusual. “Noël Huron,” for instance, originated when a 17th Century missionary taught the Native Canadian Hurons a Christmas song in their native tongue. Here, Renaissance Cadienne not only nails it but actually includes a verse in Huron. “Jésus-Christ S’habille en Pauvre”—a foreboding medieval fable where somebody’s condemned to the eternal inferno—is reenacted with two male and two female voices playing the characters of the narrator, Jesus, the old man and woman.

Another one of the disc’s joys is its liberty-taking fusions, such as the Cajun standard “J’ai Passé Devant Ta Porte” sung to the melody of “Bach’s “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring.” Or how about “Nous Vous Souhaitons Joyeux Noël” (“We Wish You a Merry Christmas”) that has an intro and outro of “McGee’s Mazurka”? Credit Waggoner for these unconventional maneuvers, but also give a nod to producer/progeny Beth Patterson for a few beauts of her own. With her Irish bouzouki and Woody Martin’s fiddling, Patterson’s “Christmas Two-Step” is not only rousing but has a distinct Acadian flavoring from Canada’s Maritime Provinces. Renaissance Cadienne’s most ambitious effort yet comes disguised as an overloaded sonic stocking stuffer.