
Thompson’s resourcefulness shows no sign of waning (though, he remarks drolly, this latest title can be read as “Is he still at it?”). Newly recruited producer Jeff Tweedy brings fresh textures to a mix of bluesy rock, delicate acoustica and skirling electric folk, but mostly he stands back and lets a master do his stuff. The mood is characteristically stormy, with the gnarly Patty Don’t You Put Me Down and the barbed political outburst of Dungeons for Eyes among the standouts. For counterbalance come the moody Broken Doll and Where’s Your Heart. No one makes a Fender sing like Thompson and Guitar Heroes, a nod to his idols, ends in an improvised blaze.
