Various Artists, Swamp Pop Gold Volume 9 (CSP)

It’s been opined that if swamp pop isn’t dead yet, it’s certainly withering away on the vine. Whether its popularity pales relative to its heyday, it’s hard to tell here with CSP Records’ latest installment of Swamp Pop Gold, now in its ninth volume. Once again, Baton Rouge disc jockey Roland Doucet let the voices (his Saturday morning radio show listeners) guide him to compile an appealing, 21-track mix that’s based solely on popular demand. While this compilation features only CSP artists, it’s also the first to feature licensed cuts from rock ’n’ roll legend Fats Domino, who is heard on a remake of “The Fat Man” and an answer song to “I’m Walkin’”: “When I’m Walking (Let Me Walk).” Ryan Foret’s 2008 release She’s Mine has good showing here with four cuts, but he meets stiff competition with uncle Wayne Foret’s strolling “Just My Baby and Me” and Gary T’s cha-cha rendition of Tommy McLain’s “Roses Don’t Grow Here Any More.” Van Broussard’s tuneful “Hello, Remember Me” is infectious with Mike Monson’s tenor and Dale Dugas’ baritone saxes playing in union. Doucet’s voices were right.