The Lost Bayou Ramblers held the release party for Vermilionaire in Lafayette four days after Hurricane Gustav hit south Louisiana - the second time in three years significant damage and flooding occurred in Vermilion, the coastal parish that lends its name to the release. It's no coincidence the Ramblers take a heavy-handed approach to defending Acadiana's environmental and cultural legacies from further loss. The title track is defined in the liner notes as: "(ver mil' ye nar') n. inhabitant of Southern Louisiana who benefits from the region's rich culture and environment." The term is a tribute to a Cajun bayou man who boasts that with all the wildlife roaming around the region, he'll "never die of hunger." A selection of waltzes, two-steps and bluesy numbers round out the album, driven by the thwacking of Chris Courville's bare-bones stand-up drum set. De facto bandleader Louis Michot has never been in better form, whether wailing a Cajun waltz with so much emotion that his voice cracks or playing a meditative instrumental homage to deceased fiddler Varise Connor. Austin-based producer, Chris "Frenchie" Smith, who has mixed albums by the Dandy Warhols among others, gives Vermilionaire a cohesive, tight sound sometimes lacking on Cajun releases. The album is a tribute to the energy and originality that helps the band pack dancehalls from Lafayette to Frenchmen Street. - Philip Cartelli