Indiana-born
John Hiatt
is an unlikely but enthusiastic champion of the Midwestern work ethic -- he's been making records since 1974, but 2010's
The Open Road
is his sixth studio effort since the dawn of the new millennium, and it sounds like the work of a man who isn't about to stop doing this work anytime soon. Like 2008's
Same Old Man
,
was recorded at
Hiatt
's home studio, and while he and his road band (
Doug Lancio
on guitar,
Patrick O'Hearn
on bass, and
Kenny Blevins
on drums) conjure up a lean, soulful groove on these sessions, the mood is easygoing and almost casual, which easily suits the bluesy tone of these songs. Time keeps adding a little more grit to
's voice with each passing year, and he's smart enough to use it in his favor, with the sandy texture of his instrument adding weight and gravity to tunes like
"Like a Freight Train"
(in which he's bad enough to steal his mom's morphine),
"Haulin'"
(a road tune that plays like a Dixie-fried
Chuck Berry
variant), and
"What Kind of Man"
(another tale of a morally dubious character with shady habits), though the vocals are also a bit lower in the mix than usual this time out.
Hiatt'
s voice and sneaky but literate lyrical style are also a fine match for
Lancio'
s guitar work, full of sliding figures and well-punctuated string bends, and the steady, rock-solid roll of the rhythm section pushes the songs along without forcing them to move faster or harder then they want. And as a songwriter,
remains one of the best craftsmen in his field; if he doesn't sound inspired as often as he once did on albums like
Bring the Family
and
Slow Turning
, the tunes remain slinky and evocative and his stories of men either succumbing to or trying to overcome their lesser instincts still bear the ring of truth and never sound rote.
John Hiatt'
s muse hasn't stopped keeping him on task, and the work he's doing remains satisfying, and anyone who can crank out an album as good as
every 18 months or so would be well advised to keep up the good work. ~ Mark Deming