When last ventured into the studio it was to cut 2003's , a deliberately modernist album steeped in electronica, to which 2010's almost feels like a refutation. Working with producers and , has created an old-fashioned blues-rock-cum-prog record, balancing the sweeping vistas of a 64-piece orchestra with cool jazz-funk grooves, tarted-up covers with a pair of tunes and a gentle reading of sits in for two songs, including with jazz vocalist and opera singer taking lead on two others, but the focus remains on , who is in a reserved, lyrical mood. Occasionally, the tempo ratchets up -- which begins as a '60s riff rocker before quickly heading to territory; the other showcase -- but remains languid and even dreamy despite the crisp, cavernous production that gives it a feeling of being trapped in 1990. All this is due to , who has chosen to forgo his signature frenzied fretboard blitzkriegs and weave long phrases, his guitar rich, thick, and warm, sounding familiar yet different: he's never sustained this level of grace for a full record, and his soulful playing cuts through the clean sheen of the production, always commanding attention even when he's not demanding it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine