New Connection
Todd Snider's fifth disc opens with a pleasant, chugging roots-rock sing-along--the title track--then kicks into a jokey folk number, "Vinyl Records." In a tongue-twisting tumble of a chorus, Snider shuffles through his record collection, name-checking classic rockers and country stars, longhaired hippies and softheaded folkies. The balance of the disc bears out these diverse influences:New Connectionsis a stylistic smorgasbord, serving up earnest introspection ("Rose City," "Class of 85") and heavy-hearted ballads ("Close Enough to You," "Waco Moon") alongside wisecracking novelty cuts ("Beer Run," "Statistician's Blues"). There's even a taste of clarinet-addled swing in "Broke" and a cover ofJohn Prine's "Crooked Piece of Time," to which Prine himself adds his unmistakable vocal scrape. In all, its occasional flaws--production that's sometimes too rich, arrangements a tad too dense, a couple of middling tunes--don't derail a solid, likable album.--Anders Smith Lindall