Moving through America

"These new originals [from the veteran roots-rock folkie] range from troubadour folk (opener "Buffalo Nickel", just voice and guitar) to up-tempo blues ("Living The Dream") and one pretty odd folk-funk number ("It's Too Bad (You Super Freak)"). What they have in common - besides the craftsmanship and that distinctive, fragile but potent voice - is that they're all portraits of regular guys in small towns or on the margins (...) - people who were raised on and believed in the whole American Dream even as that mythical America disappears like an old coin or, in album highlight "Palo Alto", crumbles into the sea".