I was a bit confused by the last album, Carenco, from Louisiana singer and guitarist Marc Broussard. I was enraptured with the single “Home.” It is down and dirty blues, his voice a deep baritone in the choruses, and nothing but purely cool. Yet, it is the only song on the album with that particular vibe. “Rocksteady” and “Where You Are” are pop perfect, but I could never understand how they all went together other than the connective tissue that is Broussard’s soulful voice.

Now, with his newest effort and one that is particularly close to his heart, Broussard is hitting his stride. S.O.S: Save Our Soul is comprised completely of covers from the soul-heavy Motown and Stax catalogues. Broussard says that he is trying to bring back the feeling because, “Soul music grew out of the church, out of gospel, but somewhere along the way it lost its heart.” Well, heart it now has.

With a  very talented group of musicians, including De Marco Johnson killing the piano and organ, Broussard has kept close to the original arrangements of the songs, giving younger generations the opportunity to experience these classics as they were intended, but feeling as if they are brand new.

There is not a weak track here, but one of my most favorite is “Yes We Can, Can,” a song you might remember the Pointer Sisters making famous. Broussard seems to channel Harry Connick, Jr. and all the funk of some deep-south soulsters. Two other tracks you can’t miss are “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You” (originally by music royalty Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, now a duet with Toby Lightman) and “Let the Music Get Down in Your Soul.”

Pick up S.O.S and the music will most definitely be ‘down in your soul.’