Recorded over the course of one lazy, stoned day in Malibu in 1976, was never bootlegged, unlike and , its unreleased cousins from the mid-'70s. first let its existence be known in 2014, when he mentioned a 1976 solo acoustic session recorded with longtime producer that was "a complete piece." Most of the songs from that complete piece drifted out in different versions over the years, starting with the appearance of "Campaigner" on 1977's -- the only time a song from this session saw the light of day prior to its complete release in 2017 -- running through three songs on and ending in 2010, when "Hitchhiker" showed up on . At the time of the release of that -produced record, claimed that "Hitchhiker" was left "unfinished" until 2010, but any longtime watcher knows he's at his best when he doesn't tie up loose ends, which is one of the reasons is compelling. Although is correct when he claims is a "complete piece" -- it sustains a dusky sweetness from beginning to an end -- it is certainly not a polished album. Often, it feels as if is singing with no intention of his music being heard by a wider audience, but the presence of at the board means this doesn't sound like a ragged demo. Instead, holds together as a mood piece, an album where slowly reckons with a new dawn after surviving a hectic mid-'70s. It is the epilogue to his "Ditch Trilogy," the descent into darkness that began with 1973's and ended with 1975's , an album where the melancholy undercurrent never overwhelms the suggestion of cautious optimism. This delicate tone is what separates from the shelved or , the two records that rely so heavily on shared material with this album. Those records are assured and confident, the work of somebody who has shaken off the ghosts who were stalking him. On , still isn't certain if he's exorcized those demons, and that unease gives just enough complexity to the album's soothing ebb and flow. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine