When and the rest of the confederation emerged from the northern Mississippi hills in the early '90s, they gave a much-needed shot in the ass, reminding everyone that the genre really wasn't so much about pyrotechnic guitar histrionics as it was about getting folks to hit the dancefloor, and once there, making sure they stayed. in particular has been a fascinating and intriguing musician ever since, and even as he cruises through his eighties, he may well be the most progressive and postmodern of anyone on the current scene. Although his basic template is and remains a -like shuffle, has combined it with full-tilt and band dynamics (1996's , with the raucous backing of ) and controversial (to purists) nation effects (1998's , featuring mixmaster ), and while these experiments haven't always worked, they show a playful willingness to treat the as something fun and vital, not some dusty, nostalgic period music trotted out on display from the music museum. No, 's version of the is powerful, visceral, and -- this is often overlooked -- playful, with his almost demonic chuckle being as recognizable a feature of his music as any guitar lick. is perhaps the most ideally representative of all of 's albums, ranging from solo acoustic tracks to crunching struts, all with a light dose of and enough scratching and looping effects to make this clearly an album from the 21st century. Amazingly, it all works as a cohesive whole, opening with a 38-second live fragment of (in which intones "I do what I want..."), and then closing with the full version. In between these bookends, the album -- aside from the rather contrived track, -- is continually fascinating, and it never stops churning. The most striking track is also the earliest and simplest, a solo acoustic version of that was by folklorist in 1968. Two tracks here, the umpteenth version of 's signature were produced by ( ) of the collective, and he gives both songs a delightful sheen without sacrificing one bit of 's irascible swagger. The interlude delivers on is nothing less than a second-cousin update of 's Perhaps the most surprising song here is which finds exploring some more new territory, this time inventing a kind of Saturday night juke joint . Listen for 's chuckle all through these tracks. He's having fun. He's pushing the forward, all without changing a beat. He's making relevant albums when musicians half his age are washed up and creatively exhausted. Is he trying to say that is the new ? Mostly he's just trying to keep that dancefloor filled. ~ Steve Leggett