Slow Turning

After Bring the Family made John Hiatt everybody's favourite grown-up songwriter, he proceeded to get feistier on this follow-up, bringing along Sonny Landreth and his scorching slide guitar. Once again, the album opens with a rocking road-trip song ("Drive South") and closes with a deep-soul ballad ("Feels Like Rain"). There's a mix of pure fun and hard-won insight throughout—sometimes, as on the haunting title track, both at once. "Tennessee Plates" contains absolutely everything a rock lyric needs: sex, crime, fast cars and Elvis.