doesn't disguise that his 2022 album finds him playing a role. Specifically, he's playing a piano man called Glenn, a storyteller fated to sing his heart out at dive bars where the audience is half-listening as they're preoccupied by their own problems. You don't need to be a pop scholar to witness the overt connections to 's "Piano Man," as has designed the album to be a living sequel to that piano bar classic, filled with songs that could possibly be played in these dead-end dives, all crafted to evoke memories of the golden age of soft rock. It's possible to enjoy as pure pastiche, enjoying its muscular melodies as much as its smooth surfaces, but the record is even more fun if you can recognize 's inspirations, which are not limited to piano men. "Roll Away (Like a Stone)" rampages forth like an outtake from 's , "Tell Me I'm Pretty (Bethamphetamine Pt 2)" carries a swagger reminiscent of what copped from , while "State-Line Fireworks" is an expert evocation of 's best work for . Of course, doesn't forget the piano men: "Holy Water Hangover" recalls 's gospel inspirations, "The Negotiator" is by way of , and "Slow Leak" mimics the gorgeous, stately ballads wrote for . The net effect of all these nods is that plays not like a night out at a nowhere saloon but rather an oldies station filled with favorite tunes you've never heard before. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine