Good News

, ' sixth album for , follows the widely celebrated . That set featured guest contributions from vocalist and Detroit guitarist . Both return here, along with special guest guitarist , on loan from ' band. Six of these ten tunes were written or co-written by . The guitarist has a thing for trains lately: opened with the burner "The Big Train," while here, the kickoff is a total revisioning of "Mystery Train," entitled "I Met Her on That Train," an instrumental where , and (in that order) improvise in a cutting contest on the choogling vamp. The first of 's four vocal appearances is on 's classic "Change Is Gonna Come." Though it's a standard, it's difficult to pull off convincingly. She does, and 's guitar fills tag the ends of her lines with empathy, underscoring the hope and faith in her delivery, reminding listeners that 's melody is rooted in the blues. The bandmembers dig deep into their trick bag and come out with a shimmering reading of 's "Time to Remember," with offering stellar performances on acoustic piano and B-3. This is the jazzier side of , slowly unwinding the melody, finding its Spanish tinge and grooving on its harmonic line. The hinge piece is a nearly 11-minute reading of 's "In the Wee Hours." 's vocal is excellent, but given the tune's length it's clearly a dialogue for and , with piano's beautifully coloring the proceedings with gorgeous fills and accents. It will more than likely make guitar fans roar with approval. The deep, undulating, minor-key "Marje's Melody" hosts lyrical interplay between . "Blues for Henry" and "Puddin' Pie" are pure Chicago workouts that reveal the depth of the dialogue between , who both deliver scintillating solos, while bassist and drummer are unshakable. "Runnin' in Peace" features delivering a prayerful gospel moan as stings and slashes through the pain intimated in the grain of her voice. is yet another excellent entry in the catalog of a band that, as time goes on, becomes a legend unto itself. ~ Thom Jurek