belongs among a cluster of albums that represents a late-career renaissance for . That many of those records carry credits by is a vagary of the calendar. rejoined in 2018, filling in for the retired , completing the album in 2019, the same year the guitarist released his own . Then, COVID-19 hit, and stayed with , knocking out two albums in less than a year, along with the 2023 album , which balanced new songs by and his compadres, and . All those records have a loose, homegrown quality while , released just months after , decidedly does not. Technically the first collection of original material has released in a decade, is a product of the studio, filled with sequenced rhythms, polished punch, and superstar cameos ranging from jazz legend to (alas, the bassist and drummer do not form a rhythm section together). It's also possible to discern the long gestation of through its deliberate pace: it has more than its share of ballads and many of its soul-stirring numbers move to a stately rhythm. Even the blues boogie "Won't Cry No More" -- a tribute to the late which acts like a bookend to "Keith Don't Go" -- plays it tight, not loose. Far from seeming sluggish, feels considered and thoughtful. doesn't shy away from big emotions -- one song, "Nothin's Easy," is explicitly dedicated to his wife , who also serves as the album's co-producer, yet many of the other tracks feel informed by their relationship -- and that open-heartedness is the key to the album's success: it enlivens the studio precision and gloss, giving it a warm human pulse. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine