High Mileage

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Alan Jackson's eighth album for Arista has nothing to prove, no broad statements to make, no shocking musical switch-ups. In laying back into acoustic shuffles like "Right on the Money" and pedal steel- sweetened ballads like "Gone Crazy," Jackson disarms with subtle delivery and a back-to-country-basics band. He penned half the album, and remarkably, his compositions are so strong one wishes he'd handled the entire record. The best non-original is a Kieran Kane's I'll Go On Loving You, the sexiest thing Jackson's ever recorded, with an elegantly dark string arrangement, and a deadly serious spoken delivery; the worst is "What a Day Yesterday Was," a slice of proud-to- live-in-the-past schmaltz. Even without A-level material, Jackson's gut-deep drawl, his continued commitment to traditional country sounds, and his unfailing avoidance of pretension number him among mainstream Nashville's most convincing voices. He's no maverick and this record holds few surprises; still, in Jackson's case, consistency will quite nearly suffice. --Roy Francis Kasten