Tag: “John Hiatt”

Preview: Cayamo music cruise 2016

 in Americana Music, Music Cruise News

By Paul T. Mueller

Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams

The ninth annual Cayamo music cruise sails from Miami on Jan. 31, en route to a week of music and fun under the Caribbean sun. Produced by Atlanta-based Sixthman aboard the chartered Norwegian Pearl, Cayamo is a weeklong music festival at sea, featuring dozens of scheduled performances in indoor venues ranging from small lounges to a thousand-seat auditorium, as well as a couple of open-air stages on the pool deck.

Cayamo is also known for passenger participation; a fair number of the 2,000-plus cruisers bring along their instruments and can be found jamming at pretty much any hour of the day or night. These sessions often draw the attention, and participation, of some of the professional musicians as well.

John Hiatt

John Hiatt

Americana’s best

While it’s not specifically an Americana cruise, this year’s Cayamo features a couple of the biggest names in Americana music at the moment – Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton, both still touring on the strength of excellent 2015 albums (Something More Than Free and Traveller, respectively). Other scheduled performers include two-time Cayamo veteran Lucinda Williams; three-timer John Prine; John Hiatt, back for a sixth tour; Nashville (and Nashville) superstar Buddy Miller, a fixture on every Cayamo except 2009; Shawn Colvin, who’s sailed five times before; John Fullbright, a two-time Cayamoan, and Steve Earle, back after two previous sailings. Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, the only performer who’s been on every Cayamo, also returns to keep his streak unbroken.

Paul Thorn

Paul Thorn

New to the cruise

Buzzworthy newcomers this year include Alabama-based singer-songwriter Paul Thorn; former Maine resident turned Austin folkie Slaid Cleaves; Hurray for the Riff Raff, featuring neo-New Orleanian Alynda Segarrra; Irish singer Foy Vance; and Angaleena Presley, also known as a member of Nashville’s Pistol Annies.

Returning to the Cayamo music cruise after successful debuts on previous cruises are country songbird Kacey Musgraves, whose duet show with Prine was a big hit last year; Amanda Shires, a fiddler and singer-songwriter who’s married to Isbell and is a member of his band, the 400 Unit; the talented duo Birds of Chicago (2015); Texas singer-songwriter Robert Ellis (2013), and Knoxville, Tenn.-based The Black Lillies (2015).

Jim Lauderdale

Jim Lauderdale

Stepping out from sideman roles with scheduled sets of their own are Buick 6 (Lucinda Williams’ band, consisting of guitarist Stuart Mathis, bassist David Sutton and drummer Butch Norton) and Jason Wilber, Prine’s longtime guitarist.

A wide range of artists

The rest of the announced lineup for the Cayamo music cruise includes Jim Lauderdale, David Bromberg, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Watkins Family Hour (featuring former Nickel Creekers Sean and Sara Watkins and others), Johnnyswim, Angaleena Presley, Langhorne Slim, The Bros. Landreth, Sam Lewis, American Babies, Mingo Fishtrap, The Alternate Routes, Rainey Qualley, Kate York and Joe Pisapia, Sugar & the Hi-Lows, Maren Morris, Martin Harley and Jimmy Galloway. The winners of this year’s Soundcheck

Shawn Mullins

Shawn Mullins

competition for spots on the roster include the Andrew Duhon Trio, from New Orleans; The Novel Ideas, a Massachusetts-based folk quintet, and the aforementioned Slaid Cleaves. And the possibility of a “stowaway” surprise artist can never be ruled out; last year Todd Snider filled that role, coming aboard mid-cruise and performing a couple of excellent sets.

A good many Cayamo passengers don’t much care where the cruise goes and would just as soon sail around in circles for a week. But for those who like a little sightseeing with their music, this year’s ports of call are Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands, and St. Maarten/St. Martin, which consists of both Dutch and French territory. There will also be four full days at sea, providing time for traditional cruise-ship activities – and for even more music than on port days.

(Cayamo music cruise photos by Paul T. Mueller.)

2015 Americana Music Grammy nominees announced

 in Americana Music
2015 Grammy nominee Taj Mahal

2015 Grammy nominee Taj Mahal

The 2015 Grammy nominees for Best Americana album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song were announced today.

Best Americana Album

“The River & the Thread,” Rosanne Cash

“Terms of My Surrender,” John Hiatt

“Bluesamericana,” Keb’ Mo’

“A Dotted Line,” Nickel Creek

“Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,” Sturgill Simpson

 

Best American Roots Performance

Statesboro Blues, Gregg Allman & Taj Mahal

A Feather’s Not a Bird, Rosanne Cash

And When I Die, Billy Childs Featuring Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas

The Old Me Better,  Keb’ Mo’ Featuring The California Feet Warmers

Destination, Nickel Creek

 

Best American Roots Song

“A Feather’s Not A Bird,” Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal (Rosanne Cash)

“Just So Much,” Jesse Winchester (Jesse Winchester)

“The New York Trains,” Woody Guthrie & Del McCoury (The Del McCoury Band)

“Pretty Little One,” Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, songwriters (Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers Featuring Edie Brickell)

“Terms Of My Surrender,” John Hiatt (John Hiatt)

Follow Americana Music News on Twitter.

 

 

John Hiatt’s “Terms of My Surrender”

 in Nashville music, Reviews

Hiatt termsby Paul T. Mueller

John Hiatt’s latest album Terms of My Surrender finds the veteran singer-songwriter pretty much in “old dude looking back” mode. “I’ve sang these songs a thousand times, ever since I was young,” he sings in the first track, “Long Time Comin’.” And there’s this in the next track, “Face of God”: “My eyes are blind from crying/don’t know how many more tears I’ve got.”

Grim stuff, especially considering that Hiatt, who just turned 62, is not exactly ancient. Still, he’s been at this for a while, producing excellent work along the way – “Drive South,” “Thing Called Love,” “Crossing Muddy Waters,” “Have a Little Faith in Me,” “Slow Turning” – the list goes on. So he’s earned his aging-bluesman persona, and with his gravelly voice and still-worthy guitar chops, he’s pretty good at it.

There might not be anything on Terms that will get Hiatt much radio airplay (not that that seems to have been his goal – the album has a “because I want to” feel about it). But there’s good material here nonetheless, all original, well written and well performed.

“Wind Don’t Have to Hurry” is an eerie meditation on freedom and mortality, fueled by the spooky banjo of longtime collaborator Doug Lancio (who also contributes guitar and mandolin on various tracks). “Nobody Knew His Name” treads familiar ground – the mysterious stranger lamenting the long-ago loss of his true love – but Hiatt tells the story with his typical panache.

Hiatt knows his way around a funny song, and he’s not afraid to paint in broad strokes. “Old people are pushy,” he sings in “Old People,” before describing a list of dubious behaviors – cutting in line, arguing with the checkout lady, driving too slow. “They can seem like sweet little old people,” he sings of his newly embraced tribe, “but they’re not about to kiss your ass.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Hiatt album without a few sweet love songs. Romance meets the blues in “Nothin’ I Love,” in which the narrator recounts his various vices and concludes, “There ain’t nothin’ I love good for me but you.” He’s accompanied here by some excellent guitar by Lancio (other contributors include bassist Nathan Gehri, drummer Kenneth Blevins and keyboardist Jon Coleman, with Brandon Young on backing vocals).

The title track is a gentle love song with a jazzy arrangement. “I can be rough, sometimes I can be tender, but I can’t negotiate the terms of my surrender,” Hiatt sings. “I love you too much, babe, go on and have your way with me.” The album closes with the lively “Come Back Home,” in which the narrator pleads for the return of a departed lover. “I’d take back every song, all that I’ve done wrong/I wish that you’d come home to me.”

Terms of My Surrender benefits from fine production by Lancio, featuring clear, uncluttered arrangements that leave the focus on Hiatt’s words.

John Hiatt, Patty Griffin headline Cross-County Lines

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Nashville music

cross county

Americana Music News — John Hiatt and Patty Griffin are headlining  the Americana Music Association’s  2nd annual Cross-County Lines festival on May 31 in Franklin, TN.

Also in the line-up: Ashley Monroe, Brandy  Clark, Parker Millsap, Joe Pug and Luther Dickinson.

It’s a 7-hour showcase for roots and Americana music in The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, just outside the offices of the Americana Music Association.

We attended last year’s kick-off Cross-County Lines event, which featured Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas and Amos Lee. The 2014 event should be just as memorable.

The music starts at 3:30 p.m. and $35 tickets are available from Ticketmaster and at the Franklin Theatre box office.

 

Follow Sun209 on Twitter at @Sun209com.

Americana Music Festival releases 2012 line-up

 in Americana Music, Americana Music Festival, Nashville music, Reviews

Americana Music News – The Americana Music Association has announced an impressive line-up for the Americana Music Festival & Conference September 12-15 in Nashville , with more performers to be named later.

As usual, the roster includes a good mix of accomplished veterans and emerging artists.

Among the biggest names: Billy Joe Shaver, the Punch Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Richard Thompson, Sara Watkins, John Hiatt, Steve Forbert and Rodney Crowell.

Also booked are newer artists who have enjoyed extensive airplay on Americana music radio, including honeyhoney, John Fullbright, The Deep Dark Woods, Shovels & Rope and Eilen Jewell.

The full list: American Aquarium, Amy Helm, Andrew Combs , Angel Snow, Anthony da Costa, Bearfoot, Belle Starr , Bill Kirchen, Billy Joe Shaver, Black Lillies, Blue Highway, Blue Mountain, BoDeans, Brandi Carlile, Brennen Leigh, Buddy Miller, Buxton, Caitlin Harnett, Chastity Brown, Corb Lund,Cory Branan, Darrell Scott, The Deep Dark Woods, Della Mae, Derek Hoke, the Dunwells, Eilen Jewell, Felicity Urquhart, Fort Frances, Gretchen Peters, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, honeyhoney, Humming House, Immigrant Union, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Jill Andrews, Jim Lauderdale, Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition, John Fullbright, John Hiatt, Jordie Lane, Julie Lee, Kasey Anderson and the Honkies, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, Kevin Gordon, Lera Lynn, Lydia Loveless, Mandolin Orange, Mary Gauthier, the Mastersons, Max Gomez, McCrary Sisters, Mindy Smith, Nicki Bluhm and The Gamblers, Phoebe Hunt, Punch Brothers, Reckless Kelly, Richard Thompson, Robert Ellis, Rodney Crowell, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Sara Watkins, Shovels and Rope, Sons of Bill, Sons of Fathers, Star and Micey, Starr Anna, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Forbert, Teresa Williams, Larry Campbell, Tift Merritt, Turnpike Troubadours, Two Gallants, Wheeler Brothers, Whitehorse, The WoodBrothers and The World Famous Headliners.

You’ll find more details on the Americana Music Festival on their home site.

Follow Sun209: Americana Music News at @sun209com.

Kenny Rogers at the Country Music Hall of Fame

 in Nashville music, Reviews

Kenny Rogers concluded his two-night run as artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville tonight with an intimate set and guest appearances by Kim Carnes and songwriter Don Schlitz.
Fans accustomed to seeing Rogers in arena had to be thrilled to catch him in the 213-seat Ford’s Theater at the museum. He said he was going to play the show as though it were his living room, and did exactly that in story and song.

Among the highlights:
– Rogers’ duet with Carnes on Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer, a 1980 hit she wrote with her husband Dave Ellingson.
– A moving version of John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me”
– Schlitz’s cameo on “I’m the Greatest,” his second hit for Rogers. The first – “The Gambler” launched his career and ignited Rogers’.
-A closing story about meeting Jessi Colter on a plane and how her account of being married to Waylon Jennings inspired Rogers to write “Sweet Music Man.”

Rogers also told the audience about pushing to get the Mel Tillis-penned “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” recorded. He said the producer thought it might be too dark, an understandable concern given the theme of a disabled veteran mulling homicide. Yet the audience erupted with joyous handclaps throughout the song. So much for darkness.
As with all ten artists-in-residence sessions at the Country Music Hall of Fame, this was a rare and sometimes revelatory evening.

Cayamo Week in Tweets

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News
  • Celebrating Leo Kottkes’ debut album http://t.co/fvzY2lia #
  • Opening night on @Cayamo: Brady and Manning vs. Lovett and Hiatt. #
  • There are big names on @Cayamo – John Prine, Lucinda – but we’re also looking forward to some newcomers, particularly @thebellebrigade #
  • Monday on @Cayamo: @thecivilwars, @sarawatkins,@thebellebrigade, Loudon Wainwright and Richard Thompson Trio. #
  • We’ve spent a lot of time at Jammin’ Java; Luke Brindley is now with Native Run and on @Cayamo. #
  • On @Cayamo last night, Lyle Lovett said he has the room next to John Prine and has been jamming with him all week. “He doesn’t know it.” #
  • Belle Brigade dance party on @cayamo http://t.co/Z5XWKVq9 #
  • Jim Lauderdale was everywhere on @Cayamo today. He led Tai Chi, then played in Buddy Miller’s and Lucinda Williams’ bands. #
  • John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett did 3 different shows @Cayamo, all outstanding. Great music and very funny conversations. http://t.co/Q1ICrTZT #
  • The @civilwars rebound from illness on @cayamo. http://t.co/rvnRZNqD #
  • Buddy Miller dedicated his opening and closing songs last night to Ed, a passenger and Buddy fan who died just as @cayamo was leaving port. #
  • Loudon Wainwright in a rare performance of Dead Skunk tonight, says @Cayamo agreed to pay him more. #

John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett on Cayamo

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

 

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt on Cayamo 2012

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt left their bands behind on this Cayamo trip and instead teamed up as an acoustic duo. They’re touring together this year and are obviously comfortable with each other. Lovett is the prodder, throwing out seemingly spontaneous comments and questions, and Hiatt is his wry equal.

It’s a measure of their chemistry that you leave their show thinking as much about the conversation as the music. Highlights of the first show included covers of Chuck Berry’s “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” and Jesse Winchester’s “Brand New Tennessee Waltz.”

From there, each of their shows mixed it up, with fresh content and stories. Hiatt brought an iPad out for one show so that he could remember his songs, but instead fielded requests most of the evening, including “Angel Eyes,” which he abandoned mid-song in favor of “one I do know.”

Both talked about artists on the cruise that impress them. Hiatt said Richard Thompson makes him want to give up the guitar, and Lovett joked that his room is next to John Prine’s, and he been jamming with him all week. “He has no idea,” Lovett said.

The final show featured Sara and Sean Watkins and a stirring Lovett rendition of “Closing Time.”

Cayamo 2012: A floating music festival

 in Americana Music

By Ken Paulson

Cayamo, a  Sixthman music festival on a cruise ship, is about to launch from the Port of Miami, with a boat full of musicians and Americana music zealots.

This is a distinctly different cruise, one on which the passengers give far less thought to destinations than their seat locations at dozens of different performances.

The line-up boasts big Americana names like John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett and Jim Lauderdale, plus emerging talents like the Belle Brigade, Levi Lowrey and the Civil Wars.

We’ll be reporting from Cayamo this week, with reviews and photos.  Those on dry land should take note; the ship sells out in a matter of weeks each year and the cruise is full of people who have taken the trip several times before. You’ll find details at www.cayamo.com.

Rounder, New West, Lost Highway top Americana labels

 in Americana Music, Reviews

Among the joys of Americana music is the range of artists and labels. Indie labels often break through, leading to dark horses and pleasant surprises.

Yet this year’s Americana Music Association list of the top 100 albums from November 16, 2010 through November 14, 2011, serves as a reminder that the bigger labels still play a major role.

An analysis of both the number of charting albums and their relative position in the charts suggests that five labels are dominant, accounting for the top six releases of the year and more than a quarter of all charting albums:

1.Rounder is the top player in Americana music radio. The label placed a total of nine albums in the top 100, including two in the top 20 and 6 in the top 25, including Alison Krauss and Union Station’s Paper Airplane (4), Gregg Allman’s Low Country Blues (6) the Jayhawks’ Mocking Bird Time (12), Robert Plant’s Band of Joy (17) Abigail Washburn’s City of Refuge (24) and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers’ Rare Bird Alert (25)

2. New West had six albums on the Americana music charts, with two in the top 10 and three in the top 20. They include Steve Earle’s I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (3), John Hiatt’s Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (8), Buddy Miller’s Majestic Silver Strings (13) and the Old 97s’ The  Grand Theatre (30.)

3. Lost Highway had four  albums on the Americana chart, including the top two slots, Hayes Carll’s KMAG YO-YO and Lucinda Williams’ Blessed. Their other charting albums were Robert Earl Keen’s Ready for Confetti (19) and 19 and Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses’ Junky Star (40.)

4. Nonesuch was the fourth most influential label, with five albums in the top 100, including Emmylou Harris’ Hard Bargain (5) and Wanda Jackson’s Party Ain’t Over (Third Man/ Nonesuch) at 23.

5.Sugar Hill also fared well in the annual chart with five albums, including Sarah Jarosz’s Follow Me Down (20) and Kasey Chamber’s Little Bird (31)

Hayes Carll tops 2011 Americana music airplay chart

 in Americana Music
The Americana Music Association has just released its list of the 100 most-played Americana music albums, with Hayes Carll’s KMAG YOYO in the top slot.
Their top 20:
1) Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO / Lost Highway
2) Lucinda Williams, Blessed / Lost Highway
3) Steve Earle, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive / New West
4) Alison Krauss & Union Station, Paper Airplane / Rounder
5) Emmylou Harris, Hard Bargain / Nonesuch
6) Gregg Allman, Low Country Blues / Rounder
7) Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Here We Rest / Lightning Rod
8. John Hiatt, Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns / New West
9) Decemberists, The King Is Dead / Capitol
10) Band of Heathens, Top Hat Crowns and the Clapmaster’s Son / BOH Records
The AMA offers a full list of the top 100 albums of the past year here, but be forewarned that you’ll need to search for the link and the download will be straight out of your accountant’s office.

Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash, John Hiatt and a new generation

 in Americana Music, Nashville music

One of those only-in-Nashville evenings: On Dec. 19, 3rd and Lindsley will host the Generations Against the Death Penalty benefit concert. The idea is to pair famous parents with their talented kids in support of the cause.
The line-up includes:

– Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell and their daughter Chelsea Crowell
– John Hiatt and daughter Lilly Hiatt
– Gail Davies and son Chris Scruggs
– Ranger Doug and son James Green.

Proceeds will benefit Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Tickets are available online.

Will Hoge, Wilco surge on Americana Music Chart

 in Americana Music

The top five spots in this week’s Americana Music Association Chart remain unchanged, with the Jayhawks, Robert Earl Keen, John Hiatt, Gillian Welch and Guy Clark ranked one through five. Will Hoge’s “Number Seven” jumps from #26 to #13.

Fresh off two triumphant nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Wilco enters the chart at #21 with “The Whole Love.” (Pictured.) Other Americana music chart debuts include Jason Boland and the Stragglers’ “Rancho Alto” at #30, Pieta Brown’s “Mercury” at #35,Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three’s “Middle of Everywhere” at #37 and Lydia Loveless’ “Indestructible Machine” at #39. The most added album of the week is Ryan Adams’ “Ashes and Fire.”

Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” tops Americana chart

 in Americana Music

Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” hits number one on this week’s Americana Music Association Chart. That’s no surprise. The album first appeared on the chart a month before release and its climb has been relentless.
John Hiatt’s “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns” falls to third after a long run at the top. Elsewhere in the top ten, the Jayhawks (#2), Ollabelle (#6) and Guy Clark (#7) also move up.
New to the chart: The Gourds’ “Old Mad Joy” at #34, the genre-defying Pistol Annies’ “Hell on Heels” at #37, and Ray Bonneville’s “Bad Man’s Blood” at #39.

Americana chart: Ry Cooder, John Doe among new entries

 in Americana Music

Today the new Americana Music Association Chart showed Matraca Berg still in the Top 20 with her “The Dreaming Fields” album. Tonight she sang her “You and Tequila” (number four in this week’s Billboard country charts) on stage at the Ryman Auditorium along with Grace Potter and Kenny Chesney. That’s a pretty good Monday.
The chart remained largely unchanged this week, with John Hiatt still at number one and no new Top 10 entries.
New to the Americana Music chart: Ry Cooder’s “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down,”(pictured) Girls Guns and Glory’s “Sweet Nothings,” Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s “Heirloom Music” and John Doe’s “Keeper.”

Ollabelle and Guy Clark move into Americana music top ten

 in Americana Music

Ollabelle and Guy Clark are new to this week’s Americana Music Association chart, with their new albums ranked seventh and eighth respectively. The marketing and merchandising around the Guy Clark live CD “Songs and Stories” has been fascinating. It was available as an MP3 for one day on Amazon for $3.99, but you can also buy the CD, an autographed print and a T-shirt on Clark’s website for $125. Clearly he’s an artist for all income groups.
Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” moved up to fourth place, following John Hiatt, Gillian Welch and the Jayhawks, who again hold down the top three slots.
New to the chart is Greg Brown’s “Freak Flag.” (Pictured) Among the albums with the most adds this week are Joy Kills Sorrow’s “This Unknown Science” and Johnny Winter’s “Roots.”

Uncut: The records that shaped John Hiatt

 in Americana Music

The October 2011 issue of Uncut features John Hiatt on its “My Life In Music” page, inviting Hiatt to list the records that helped shape his life and musical tastes.
The first pick, “Elvis Presley’s take on Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” particularly intrigued us. (Yes, that’s the B-side of Sun 209.) “I love the way it straddles two worlds, rock ‘n’ roll and country,” Hiatt recalls, offering a pretty good description of his own career.
Among others on Hiatt’s list: Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful,” Gary U.S. Bonds’ “Quarter to Three,” Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips Pt. Two,” the McCoys’ “Hang on Sloopy” and Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” album.

New acts added to 2012 Cayamo line-up

 in Americana Music

The bookers for Cayamo have been busy. Newly-added acts for the floating Americana music festival set for February 2012 include Joe Purdy, Bobby Long and Deep River.

They join an impressive line-up that includes Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Keb’ Mo’, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Greg Brown, the Civil Wars, Sara Watkins, James McMurtry, Iris Dement, Shawn Mullins, Edwin McCain, Maia Sharp, The Belle Brigade,  Works Progress Administration, Angie Aparo, Chuck Cannon, Enter the Haggis, Winterbloom, Holly Williams, Shannon McNally,Ryan Montbleau Band, Sarah Lee & Johnny Irion, Beth Wood, Aslyn, Sarah Jaffe and Levi Lowrey.

John Hiatt’s “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns”

 in Reviews

John Hiatt’s 20th album “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns” continues his remarkable streak of consistently solid recordings. It feels like an extension of last year’s “The Open Road,” with a few more songs about regrets and a couple of compelling compositions about transportation.

The album opens with “Damn This Town,” a vow to leave everything and everyone behind. The arrangement echoes “Perfectly Good Guitar,” but it comes from a much darker place.

“All The Way Under” and “Down Around My Place” are both evocative songs, riddled with despair.

The man who wrote “Drive South” celebrates a classic car on “Detroit Made,” a rocking ode to a Buick Electra 225. There’s also a fine train song here, “Train to Birmingham.”

The often somber feel of the album makes “I Love That Girl,” the one unabashed pop song, a joyous change of pace.
“Dirty Jeans” closes with “When New York Had Her Heart Broke,” a song about the events of 9/11, written and first performed days after the attacks. You can understand why it’s been on the shelf, but a decade later, it’s powerful and touching.