never stopped making music but he did back away from his solo career after , a misbegotten 1978 effort that found the guitarist attempting to dabble in the sun-splashed surfaces of SoCal soft rock. After that, he retreated to the boogying , a side project that was abandoned after scored a hit in 1987 with , then after the death of , he wandered through several jam bands, settling on as a vehicle for whatever songs he had. All of this is to say that when 2016's is called 's best album since his 1972 debut -- and it is, without question -- there simply isn't much competition. That said, does display a level of conscious craft that is rare not only among albums but also . Credit producer -- an associate of , who released a weighty tribute called earlier in 2016 -- and singer/songwriter , who both worked with to create a lovely, meditative salute to the "cowboy songs" dear to the guitarist's heart. Usually, 's cowboy songs in a set provided a bit of levity but floats wistfully, sometimes seeming sweet, sometimes seeming sad, but always offering some rustic comfort. It helps that dodges the austerity of 's stark recordings for , nor does he indulge in the murk of ' collaborations with : instead, he finds a balance between simple and spacy, a blend that suits well. Against this backdrop -- sometimes consisting of no more than acoustic guitar, sometimes a warm wash of guitar -- sounds weathered and warm, reflective but not mired in nostalgia, not even when he's reviving trail songs or playing with American myths. In that sense, is very much an extension of his work with , particularly and : he's tapping into legends, then spinning them for the present day. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine