Indie troubadour Cass McCombs is an unlikely jamband soldier, but his wide-ranging eclecticism, his sneaky humor and his rootlessness jive with the artists that work in the ripples of the Dead’s ever-widening wake. On his latest full-length, one can hear the results of McCombs recently rubbing musical elbows with Bob Weir (who covered one of his tunes) as well as Joe Russo and Mike Gordon (who both join McCombs on this record). These 20-plus tracks have the mellow, slow-paced, early-‘70s feel of McCombs’ earlier material, but there are surprises. A pedal steel adds its lonesome moan to “Brighter!” and low-mixed djembe drums pop underneath “Morning Star,” while out-jazzish sax honking flares up elsewhere. Gordon’s beefy bottom-heavy bass lines supply McCartney-esque heft and bounce. McCombs’ lighthearted delivery evokes a more tuneful Lou Reed on the sweet and resigned “There
Can Be Only One.” There are glassy Garcia-like guitar arabesques and cascading triplets. This record has a slow burn and build, and by the time it reaches McCombs’ excellent cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Honesty Is No Excuse,” the scope and reach of the material have established their own logic.