A spiritual successor to Paul Kelly’s 1999 album Smoke, 2005’s Foggy Highway similarly mingles altered versions of a few older tracks with some new tunes and tasteful covers—all done in classic bluegrass style. This time Kelly is backed by a one-off configuration of Australian genre veterans: fiddler Mick Albeck, double bassist James Gillard, guitarist Rod McCormack, banjo player Ian Simpson and mandolin player Trevor Warner. The selected makeovers are delightful to witness: the Archie Roach co-write “Rally Round the Drum” departs from its slow and sparse original version to become downright frisky, while “Don’t Stand So Close to the Window” graduates from a keyboard-kissed waltz to a veritable bush dance, complete with Kelly calling out the moment to change partners. Opener “Stumbling Block” showcases incredibly close vocal harmonies, a feat repeated on the album’s other bookend: “Meet Me in the Middle of the Air” is proper a cappella, strongly evoking gospel in both lyrics and delivery. And Kasey Chambers proves to be a winsome duet partner for an affectionate take on The Louvin Brothers’ “You’re Learning”. Kelly continued to experiment periodically after this rewarding detour, cutting an entire album with jazz pianist Paul Grabowsky, and another setting some of Shakespeare’s sonnets to music.