JASON EADY
I Travel On
Old Guitar Records
Since 2013’s AM Country Heaven kicked down a lot of doors for him as not just a gifted songwriter but a uniquely blessed traditional-country vocalist, Jason Eady’s been kind enough to walk right back through those doors with an admirably prolific reliability. He’s not a stuffy purist — the folk-rock writing of his earliest work has gradually seeped back into his hard-country blend — but he does work wonders within the acoustic-framed lines he’s drawn for himself, pouring his ever-richer twang into tales of despair, resilience, and motion while dobro and fiddle licks haunt the corners like ghosts made of 90-proof vapor.  Whether his material is as dark as “She Had to Run” or as laid-back as “That’s Alright,” Eady sounds like he’s been fortunate enough to get wise well before getting old. — MIKE ETHAN MESSICK