Like , is a singular American songwriter with an eloquent soul and a melodic sense that spans a number of genres. And like ' muse seems to visit only so often these days, so a few decades into her career, she often records other people's songs rather than her own. Like 2012's , 2000's , and 1991's is an album devoted to her interpretations of a variety of rock and pop tunes as well as a few old standards, and even when the material is familiar, inarguably finds something very much her own in this material. was recorded in New Orleans with accompanied by a small army of musicians led by percussionist and co-producer . While this music doesn't sound like country (even when the pedal steel guitar cries sweetly on 's "Houston"), it feels richly Southern in its comfortably laid back but impassioned tone and in the loose precision of the arrangements. is capable of joining in for the tight harmonies of the swing classic "Nagasaki," but on most of the tracks, her phrasing slides gracefully over the tunes, with one foot in jazz and the other in the playful sense of boho cool that's been her hallmark since her 1979 debut LP. The surprises on come in ' choices of material. "Mack the Knife" and "You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You" seem well-suited to her talents, but most fans wouldn't have expected her to dig into the back catalogs of ("Bad Company"), ("Lonely People"), ("Quicksilver Girl"), or ("My Father's Gun"). But gives each of them a reading that brings a fresh emotional depth to the lyrics, and the space in 's arrangements gives her all the room she needs to pull the heartache or hard-won wisdom out of these tracks. There's a bit of extra grain around the edges of ' voice these days, but her phrasing and imagination are as keen today as they've always been, and the faint sweetness in her delivery has lost none of its power to charm and beguile. feels like a lesser statement from compared to the more ambitious original material of 2009's and 2015's , but as a performer, she's still a unique talent, and the best moments here are a true delight. ~ Mark Deming