John Hiatt - Riding With The King

John Hiatt has had a long, schizophrenic career. He's been a singer-songwriter, a new waver, an AOR dinosaur, a country rocker, and an adult-contemporary powerhouse. Throughout, his songwriting has been admirable. The production here is sometimes tricky, a tad bombastic, a bit too mainstream and yearning for success. (Ah, the '80s!) It is also an album divided. Nick Lowe, Paul Carrack, and ex-Rumour guitarist Martin Belmont join the backing band for the Lowe-produced second half and it's here that the ensemble cooks. But it's really about the songs, and there's no denying songs as clever as "She Loves the Jerk," "Death by Misadventure," or "You May Already Be a Winner," which all feature Hiatt's humor hidden under a serious degree of healthy cynicism. --Rob O'Connor