Gulf Coast Highway [PA] (CD - 2009)

For his third full-length on Alligator Records, Lindell stays true to the recipe that made him a regional star with a burgeoning national profile in the late '00s: a no-frills, good-timing mix of classic soul, honky-tonk, and New Orleans funk seemlessly centered on his huskily blue-eyed-soul vocals, which sound at times like a cross between the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson and a young Van Morrison. Every track on GULF COAST HIGHWAY reimagines the latter's MOONDANCE as played by Dr. John and the Meters. Whether on his own compositions (like lead-off "If Love Can't Find A Way") or his cover choices (such as Delbert McClinton's "Here Come the Blues Again") that reveal a deep musical curiosity, Lindell pulls off the trick of making the well-worn sound fresh. minimize