It may seem convenient to use food as a metaphor when describing the eclectic nature of the fourth album, or, really, any of the releases from this New Orleans quintet. Especially when so much of the Crescent City’s culture centers on culinary and musical delicacies. Yet, if the stew fits…

The Deslondes return two years after the critically acclaimed Ways & Means, and nearly a decade after the group’s refreshing debut. The ensemble welcomes a new drummer, Howe Pearson, for this collection, but otherwise it’s back to that familiar pot loaded with country, folk, blues, Americana, and rock-and-roll. Spiced with dashes of a punky, do-it-yourself ethos, it’s songwriting that feels as authentic as it gets these days.

Imagine if The Band, or Los Lobos, were bands calling New Orleans home in the 21^st century, and the music they’d likely make, and that’s a good starting point for what these five are doing. As it was with the trio of albums preceding Roll It Out, The Deslondes are best when singing of genuinely sweet flirtations, or disclosing barstool confessions, or plainly and without pretense telling a story surely worth a smile. With very little frills of production, and arrangements strictly in service of the songs, The Deslondes, nevertheless, demonstrate a confident command of vocal harmonies and musicianship that shift in and out of mood and genre with ease.

Whether the dancefloor-scuffing shuffle of “Take Me Back,” or the pining, could-be anthem of “Hold On Liza,” or the swinging, slightly Nilsson-esque folly of “Pour Another Round,” or any of the other baker’s dozen of tracks, the joy of The Deslondes, once again, is in conveying the reassuring simplicity of friends getting together. This is the sound of a worn-in, well-traveled quintet picking up and playing, and bringing plenty to the table. Sit back, raise a glass, and enjoy the feast.