Unfollow the Rules

His tenth album overall, signifies an emphatic return to pop for following a recording of his first opera (2015's ) and a set of sonnets set to music (2016's ). It also represents a career marker of sorts; returning to Los Angeles and specifically Sound City Studios, where recorded his 1998 eponymous debut, the songwriter has described it as a bookend to the first part of his career. A lush, theatrical, nearly hourlong 12-track set recorded with legendary producer ( , ), it opens with the sleek pairing of 's vocals and a drum beat by before "Trouble in Paradise" breaks open with dense, pointed vocal harmonies. A song reportedly inspired by fashionista Anna Wintour, its expanding instrumentation includes performances by the likes of , pianist , and , who did string arrangements for the album. Horns, woodwinds, keyboards, and pedal steel guitar are among other components of the song's gorgeous, volatile textures. Though there are sparer moments that follow, even tracks like the piano ballad "Unfollow the Rules" and the ominous dirge "Early Morning Madness" -- a memorable piece that stands among 's best work -- eventually swell into something more rhapsodic or, in the case of the latter, devolve into cacophony as they progress. Perhaps the most easygoing track here is "You Ain't Big," which ventures into pre-rock country stylings for a playful take on one's status in the music industry if you fail to win over the heartland. Wistful closing track "Alone Time" features just one of the many elegant melodies on and recalls to the rich vocal harmonies of the opener. While intended to hark back to the debut, at least in subtle ways (musicians including drummer appear on both albums, and much of it was recorded live in the studio), 's growth as a composer/arranger and his experiences in the classical realm are apparent here. Though, to his credit as a tunesmith, his words and melodies remain center stage. ~ Marcy Donelson