

With a body of work as long-running and far-ranging as Jonathan Richman's, there's never a dull moment—his off-kilter pop weirdness makes double sure of that. He filters himself through the golden age of rock ‘n' roll on the fun “Parties in the U.S.A.” and tackles twangy country on the Nevada-bound “Reno.” With his groovy delivery and dancy, insistent guitar technique, Richman even makes the mall sound fun with “Rockin' Shopping Center.”