Sky Still Blue

Editors’ Notes Seth Walker has been playing various strains of vintage roots music since his self-titled 1997 debut. He’s joined on Sky Still Blue, his seventh album, by his working band, aesthetically simpatico producer Oliver Wood (who also cowrote half the album), and the rest of the Wood Brothers band. Together they conjure an album of quiet, simmering dynamics with a funky backbone and shuffling jazz and blues rhythms. It's anchored by Walker’s soulful voice (think Elvis Costello or Joe Henry) and tasty but concise guitar licks. Lyrically, Walker focuses on love through much of this, with standouts including the ambling and incisive lovers' laments “Either Way I Lose” and “Easy Come, Easy Go,” which features a vivid story and a fine set of percolating guitar solos. Also notable is “Trouble (Don’t Want No),” where the mood turns darker. While much of this material is slow to midtempo, Walker brings it down to a crawl for the plaintive “Grab Ahold of Me” and pushes it up a few ticks for the peppy “Tomorrow” and “All That I’m Asking.”