

Anderson East’s concoction of blues, soul, and country—often delivered with swaying R&B grooves—is an intoxicating take on Americana. The streetwise and sophisticated “Madelyn” nods, too, to a sharply honed pop sensibility, and East turns to the heavenly highs of gospel as he reaches for the rafters on the lustful and horn-blasted “Devil In Me.” The engine that keeps these retro-styled tunes chugging along is the singer’s smoky, powerful voice; it’s seductive on the simmering “What Would It Take,” and it burns up the tape for the crescendo of “If You Keep Leaving Me,” a song about a love that East just can’t quit.