

Silverton, Oregon’s finest, Dolorean play a smooth and soothing autumnal music that’s strong on long shadows and killer organ tones. Al James sings with an understated power that makes tunes like “Thinskinned,” “Country Clutter” and “If I Find Love” an elegant hope amidst subtle undertows of longing and sorrow. You could classify Dolorean as a modest country-rock outfit, except that doesn’t quite explain it. The tunes and the orchestration are anchored there, but James takes these songs into a drifter’s escape where the vistas open and angels fall from the skies. “Hard Working Dogs” adds sparkly guitar work and an enlivened beat, while “Fools Gold Ring” uses stacked harmonies that trace the Fender Rhodes and James’ infallible way with a vocal. The stillness of “How Is It” is positively masterful. If some of their earlier work sounded unfocused, that has all changed with The Unfazed, an album so dead right on its target that not a false note is played.