Ever since he released his first record, seems to have been searching for a sound that suits his emphatic yet introspective lyrical style and rootsy melodies, from the scrappy sitting-around-the-campfire mood of his 2005 debut to the polished and cleanly orchestrated figures on 2009's . On his fifth full-length album, 2015's , has finally recruited a full-time backing band, , featuring on banjo and keyboards, on bass, and on drums, and in many respects this makes for one of 's most musically satisfying albums to date, delivering performances that are clever, taut, and intuitive but leave just enough space for 's impassioned vocals and elemental guitar work. also had other valuable collaborators on -- producer has given these sessions just a light buff and polish that allows the details to stand out (and the sparing use of strings and horns gives the arrangements a soothing undertow without robbing the music of its organic tone and feeling), and songwriter collaborated with on eight of the album's 12 songs, firming up the frameworks of the tunes while keeping 's essential lyrical and melodic personality firmly in place. As for , he's still trying to sort out his troubles with life, love, and the world around him, but the unpretentiously intelligent outlook of his songs suggests he's a man whose navel gazing is not about just his own troubles, but the large-scale job of sorting out one man's place in a big world, and if he doesn't always have answers, at least he knows how to ask the right questions. Hopefully will have worked out a few of his deeper thoughts in his next album with , but at very least sounds like a sure-footed step in the right direction. ~ Mark Deming