Yves Lambert & Le Bebert Orchestra
Le Monde à Lambert
(La Prûche Libre)

It's been five years since Yves Lambert left La Bottine Souriante, the legendary roots-music ensemble from Quebec he cofounded in 1976. The accordionist and singer now fronts a hot acoustic quintet, and he quickly sets the temperature on Le Monde à Lambert.

Le Bébert Orchestra kicks off its debut recording of traditional French-Canadian songs and tunes, plus new pieces in the folk vein, with a hard-driving reel. "Qui aurait cru?" is spearheaded by the twin fiddles of Nicolas Pellerin and Tommy Gauthier, and segues deftly into "La Fille du vigneron", a lively song about love, war, wine, and horses. Although its sound is big, the band has neither drum kit nor brass. Pellerin's feet stamp out the beat, Simon Lepage anchors the bottom end with supple bass lines, and guitarist Olivier Rondeau stitches together the rhythms and harmonies, adding inventive touches of funk and swing.

Fast dance tunes alternate with call-and-response songs, but the album isn't all jig-along jollity. "A Saint-Elie" is that rarest of beasts, a romantic song in praise of drinking; the gently melancholic waltz "Le Lys tigré" showcases Lambert's fluency on diatonic accordion; and "Pachelbel Paquette" cleverly interweaves a traditional tune and the famous Canon in D by baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. The music of Le Monde à Lambert is imaginatively arranged by the whole band, and is performed with taste and a touch of panache.