If a possum can have a baby in 12 to 13 days and an African elephant needs 660 days, how long does it take a musician? Ten years, if you ask Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars.

The All-Stars’ baby is their new double CD, The La Louisianne Sessions. Eric Adcock, piano and Hammond B3 master for the All-Stars, said as a decade has passed since their last album, the band had a lot to say and took their time to say it.

“Roddie and I have been strategizing and contemplating working on this for 10 years,” said Adcock. “So it feels like we’ve been pregnant for 10 years. We were in labor for two. And it just dropped.”

Fans for Downtown Alive! get to see the baby today when the Romero and the All-Stars perform in downtown Lafayette. CDs will also be on sale at the performance.

The All-Stars’ long musical gestation has resulted in a 23-song CD on Octavia Records. The disc is named after La Louisianne Records, the historical Lafayette studio where it was were recorded.

Since 1958, LaLou has been a cradle of Louisiana music, such as Dale and Grace’s No. 1 smash of 1964, I’m Leavin’ It Up to You, as well as classic local recordings by Aldus Roger, Lil Bob, Nathan Abshire and others.

The new LaLou baby features Love is Eternity, Hang My Head and other roots-rock originals that fall under the broad musical umbrella of Americana. Spirited Cajun and zydeco covers, like Clifton Chenier’s Party Down and Hey ‘Tit Fille, and John Delafose’s Kawann, filled the rest of the CD.

Cajun standards, such as the Mamou Two-Step and Johnnie Can’t Dance, were recorded as one-mic set-ups with restored vintage equipment used in some of LaLou’s historic recordings.

“David Rachou redid the studio in 2000, because we were one of the first bands to get in there and start doing some demo stuff,” said Romero. “La Lou was in the plan all along.

“David wanted to do some experimenting and he really didn’t have anyone to do that with, as far as recreating some old sounds and the old vibe that his dad (Carol) captured a long time ago with this equipment. The time was right. We were the band, the group of guys that had the open mind and wanted to try something new.”

Special guests on the CD include blues guitar icon Lil Buck Sinegal, singers Theresa Andersson and Anna Laura Edmiston and musicians Pat Breaux, Richard Comeaux and Olivier Scoazec. Adcock said the guests and songs were designed to reflect the band’s influence from Lafayette music.

“Lafayette was a great place to grow up in,” said Adcock. “All of our influences are on that record. From Roddie’s love of Aldus Roger and our love for Clifton (Chenier) and Buckwheat and Buckwheat’s arrangements in Clifton songs. Bringing in somebody I’ve been playing with since I was 16 was Lil Buck Sinegal.

“We also contributed Americana originals, which we felt blended in quite nicely. I took a lot of the last 10 years, growing, figuring out how it all plays together and getting the right band together to put it off.”

The All-Stars hold their Lafayette CD release party July 13 at the Blue Moon Saloon. A New Orleans release party is set for July 20 at the Rock ‘n’ Bowl.