Mojo Gumbo, "Under the Influence"

In a nutshell: Hoosier quartet pays tribute to the music of Louisiana and New Orleans. Some results are transcendent, others run-of-the-mill. Mojo Gumbo will celebrate the release of "Under the Influence" on April 9 at Locals Only, 2449 E. 56th St.

Fan finder: Good-time Crescent City parameters are set by the first two tracks: "Hey Pocky Way," first recorded by the Meters in 1974, and "Hello Josephine," a 1960 hit for Fats Domino.

That's a keeper: Mojo Gumbo vocalist-guitarist Steve "Scrapper" Brown extracts withering blues from "Oh Katrina," a post-hurricane lament originally recorded by Sweden-to-New Orleans singer-songwriter Anders Osborne. The song depicts the natural disaster as a femme fatale. "Talk about wrecking a perfectly happy home," Brown sings. "You have some kind of nerve, girl, to come on so strong."

Didn't see it coming: Drummer Mark Clark propels the rousing first half of "Under the Influence," proof that a talented percussionist can make or break an album.

The verdict: Brown isn't the only singer in Mojo Gumbo, as Matt Knott handles some tunes with high-pitch clarity and Mike Brown brings gruff zydeco accents to the rest. Even with this variety, "Under the Influence" sags during a food-and-beverage trilogy of "Louisiana Cookin'," "Drinkin' Wine Spo Dee O Dee" and "Barbeque." Trim one of these cliched salutes, and a strong project becomes stronger.

Visit the band's website.