Another Way to Go

Ever since the late 1980s, when he was half of the Nashville duo Foster & Lloyd, Radney Foster has been a master at commingling rock and country influences in a manner sophisticated and timely, yet earthy and soulful. And he's done it once again on Another Way to Go. In fact, it's his most fully realized work since his fine 1992 solo debut, Del Rio, Texas, 1959, and perhaps his best ever. Foster, now 43 and a settled family man, hits some enticing grooves while serving up thick slices of everyday pathos and rock-solid life lessons on first-rate originals like "Everyday Angel," "Just Sit Still," "What Is It That You Do," and the spicy, bluesy "I Got What You Need." An added treat is a spirited duet with old friend Chely Wright on "Scary Old World," a song Foster wrote with late Nashville legend Harlan Howard shortly before Howard's death. --Bob Allen