Mountains

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As both an accomplished collaborator and a striking solo artist, Nils Lofgren is too talented to fit into any easy category.  He began as a classical accordionist at age five, but switched to guitar later in his youth, formed the rock band Grin, and played on Neil Young's After the Goldrush. While Lofgren has also been an on-and-off member of Crazy Horse since the early '70s, he's best known for his tenure as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band—joining in 1984 for the Born in the U.S.A. Tour.

Those years with Bruce are audible in a version of the Springsteen original, "Back in Your Arms," which comes complete with backing from the Howard Gospel Choir. Another mass of voices beefs up the jumpiness of "We Better Find It," a tune with musical echoes of the 1980s. "Ain't the Truth Enough," another Bruce-like number, opens the album with the emotional reach that marks the E Streeter's best work.  Charged with a thumping beat and low-end menace, "Only Ticket Out" is the doleful tale of a tortured man who "Blacked out cold in an alley/ Full of NyQuil and stale dope." Later "Won't Cry No More," which chugs along with a steady groove, is dedicated to the late Rolling Stones drummer, Charlie Watts. In "Nothin's Easy (For Amy)," Lofgren pays tribute to his titular wife who's listed as co-producer on the album: "As I walk the hurt in this world/ People searchin' with no clue/ I take comfort in one truth/ Nothin's easy 'cept you."

"Dream Killer," bathed in 1980's styled reverb, showcases Lofgren's still-supple voice and continued ability to hit the high notes in each chorus. Although the lyrics he sings are sappy—"Queen of mercy heal us with your love/ Cleanse this wasted world"—he lets loose with the album's vocal highlight on the closer, "Angel Blues." Calling a musician "a pro" is high praise and few deserve that compliment more than Nils Lofgren. © Robert Baird/Qobuz