The Tiki Bar is Open. (More Jazz Than Not).

John Hiatt: The Tiki Bar is Open (Vanguard 7953-2)

John Hiatt has reunited with one of his old backup bands, the Goners (featuring Sonny Landreth on guitar) to produce what is probably his best work since that wonderful trilogy of Bring the Family, Slow Turning, and Stolen Moments. The Tiki Bar Is Open falls just short of the standard set by those three collections; most noticeably absent this time around are the memorable characters (e.g., "Trudy and Dave") who populated some of his songs back then. This time around, most of the songs revolve around Hiatt himself. There's some really good stuff here though, such as the opening cut, "Everybody Went Low," where Hiatt uses one of his old tricks of varying rhythm and volume to dramatic effect. The end result is one of those songs you just can't get out of your mind, and you will wind up singing to yourself those simple words, "Everybody Went Low" as loud as you can -- when nobody can hear you. In an entirely different mood, Hiatt sings about his broken heart in "Something Broken," and the effect of the repetition of those words is hypnotic. You wind up feeling for the guy.

It really hurts, though, when you hear Hiatt sing about taking a drink (after 17 years of sobriety) in the title song. If you are familiar with Hiatt's best work, which rose out of the ashes of his nearly ruined life, you will find yourself hoping that he is simply taking an artistic liberty in writing those lyrics. At the same time, I remember how upset I was at the death of Dale Earnhart -- and I am not a NASCAR fan. For Hiatt to write about this event causing him to abandon his sobriety seems quite possible. And quite chilling.

Although Landreth plays some tasty slide guitar on this album, I found myself wishing he had been allowed to cut loose even more. With a little more slide guitar and a few more songs that tell stories about believable and unforgettable characters (remember Billy, who would just not wear that silly vest when playing with Sonny and Cher, from Stolen Moments?), John Hiatt would have a new release that matches his best work. But even at, say, 90% of his best, John Hiatt has produced a truly excellent new release that comes out way ahead of much of the stuff I have been hearing lately.