Marc Broussard classifies his music as “soul music.”

“It’s coming from my heart and soul,” the Louisiana native said. A more illustrative description of Broussard’s music would be soul music with a twist of old-school jazz and a hint of Cajun seasoning.

I discovered Broussard’s music through iTunes and was immediately hooked. His latest album, Carencro was included in the “Top Rock Albums for 2004” on iTunes.

“[iTunes] has been extremely beneficial to my career,” Broussard said. “It fosters the progression and modernization of music retail.

“People are buying music differently.”

The 22-year-old Broussard, who plays tonight at The Gypsy Tea Room, will stop in Dallas to promote Carencro.

“I love Deep Ellum, the whole area is really interesting,” he said. “The vibe is just happening.”

The album, named after his hometown in Louisiana, sounds like no other album in stores right now. While some may compare his sound to Gavin DeGraw and John Mayer, his sound is fresher and the emotion his smoky voice conveys in each of the tracks separates him from his peers. It doesn’t hurt that he wrote every song on the album either.

According to Broussard, his favorite song that he has written is “Let me Leave.” He also listed the song as his favorite one to perform.

“It’s real true to my life,” he said.

Other standout tracks include, well … all of them to be honest.

The album is entertaining from start to finish and the influence of southern Louisiana on Broussard is apparent.

“The grit and dirt in south Louisiana is something you can’t find anywhere else in the world,” he said.

Some of that grit and dirt is apparent in each of his songs. Broussard was discovered while performing songs on street corners in Lafayette, La., and he still stays true to his roots.

Broussard still lives in Carencro and it’s obvious that it’s a place that inspires him.

Broussard said his biggest influence on his musical career was his father who inspired him in “many ways.” His father even plays guitar on some of Carencro’s tracks.

Broussard’s biggest complaint about touring is “the relentless schedule.”

But in the end for Broussard, the positives of touring outweigh the negatives.

“I love playing shows,” he said. “I love it when I can make people dance and smile and sing along to my songs. There’s no feeling like it.”