Throughout, Neti Vaan's fiddle resounds, with her widely-informed technique never obscuring her gift for heartfelt expression. Her versatility comes through with colorful arrangements, such as the fiddle and accordion "horn parts" on "Spanish Wine and Black Coffee," and her Gypsy-flavored improvisation on the instrumental "Fin de Siècle."

The 12 songs and 4 instrumentals on the record range from smoky–barroom swing/blues ("Rough Around The Edges"), to gypsy-tinted bluegrass ("Jerusalem Ridge," by Bill Monroe) and Tex/Mex-flavored folk ("Three Marias"). There is an original New Orleans Mardi Gras "mambo"-styled song ("Don't Rain on My Mardi Gras"); and a twisted history of Europe as seen through the eyes of an American, punctuated by twanging jaw harp ("Judgment Town"). A twin-fiddle instrumental waltz ("Ruben's Dream") closes the record.

There’s frequently a mysterious air wafting about his songs, like the line, "write a Chinese letter in the afternoon" as heard on the title song. (Is it a single Chinese letter, a letter written in Chinese or one that's in the post to China?) Or how about the unexpected lyrical twists that revel in their own whimsy--"Well I might go to heaven/and I might go to hell/And I might go to Shreveport/jukin’ for a spell" on "Three Marias." Indeed, Ramsey’s lyrics are never predictable, marked by clever word plays that abound throughout such as "I won't say that you taste good or that you got good taste" on the finger-snappin'’ "Spanish Wine and Black Coffee."

Like other songwriters’ darkish outlooks, Ramsey has those too, such as tales of addiction on "The Stuff," whose drama is only heightened by Charlie Miller’s emotive trumpet solo. Yet for such soul-baring, there's plenty of countering levity, especially "Rough Around the Edges," a song many open-collared guys could raise an exuberant fist for. The arrangements, featuring Ramsey’s maestro piano playing and Neti Vaan’s haunting, soulful fiddling, are highly melodic, packed with exquisite playing. As a vocalist, Vaan is equally engaging, swinging and singing the Cab Calloway popularized tune "A Chicken Ain't Nothin' But a Bird," one of the few non-originals heard here.

Between introspective examinations, the couple adroitly plays border-less multi-cultural instrumentals like Bill Monroe's "Jerusalem Ridge," a gypsy jazz romper "Fin De Siecle," and the Celtic-flavored "Sergeant Early's Dream." It all exceeds expectations, especially guitarist Rob Halverson’s tasty playing on the later. The closing tune, "Ruben’s Dream," is the perfect nightcap with its classical Pachelbelian-like textures. And you thought you knew all of New Orleans’ musical treasures."