Anderson East
styles himself as a hardscrabble soul troubadour, a decision that runs the risk of the 29-year-old singer seeming affected by attempting to appear wise beyond his years. To his credit,
Encore
-- his second album, released at the dawn of 2018 -- does indeed feel lived-in, as if it were born from experience. Some of this can be chalked up to producer
Dave Cobb
, a veteran from
East
's 2015 debut,
Delilah
, who gives the album a leathery, retro-soul vibe straight out of Muscle Shoals.
Cobb
may be conjuring the past but it's in an effort to place
as part of a tradition, and one that isn't strictly soul, either.
certainly simmers to a sultry, soulful groove, but
is aware that Southern music isn't limited to R&B. That much can be gleaned from his choice of covers: the latter-day
Willie Nelson
number "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces" and "Sorry You're Sick" by folk-blues icon
Ted Hawkins
, intimate numbers that are turned into unabashed soul songs by
. Such reinterpretations smear the borders separating genres, but what's even more interesting about
is how he personalizes his hybrids. Much of this is achieved by interpolating
Van Morrison
's Irish testifying -- his debt is apparent whenever the tempo slows, as it does on "This Too Shall Last" -- but
never sounds like a mimic, thanks to his sharply rendered words and vivid melodies. If he sometimes sounds like he leans too hard into his rasp, this vocal tic is mitigated by those songwriting skills and the supple sound of
's production, elements that turn
into a minor gem. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine