At the end of the 1980s, David Bromberg decided he’d given enough of himself to recording and touring, and opted instead to keep a low profile and make violins. When he returned to active music-making in 2007, it was as if he’d never left—the ideas flowed, the chops were intact and so was the joyfulness. These days, he only releases a new album every few years or so and, while they’re not much different in sound and structure than the ones he made in his prime, each is a welcomed addition. So it is with Big Road, a collection of covers and originals recorded mostly with a quintet and featuring both acoustic and electric music. (The release comes in several formats, some with video content.) Bromberg’s reference points haven’t changed—blues, folk, country—and that’s just fine. He doesn’t need modern production techniques or synthetic manipulation to get across. Some of these songs are old, some are fresh out of the box: The title track comes from the late bluesman Tommy Johnson and appeared earlier on a Bromberg solo release; here, with a horn-fortified full band, it takes on new power, Bromberg’s vocal delivery acrobatic and often bordering on manic, the guitars and violin sailing and wailing throughout. “George, Merle and Conway”—that would be Jones, Haggard and Twitty—is a loving tribute, written by Bromberg, that any of those country greats would be proud to cover. “Who Will the Next Fool Be” comes from another country cornerstone, Charlie Rich, and “Take This Hammer” is from Lead Belly; in Bromberg’s hands both sound like he wrote them. We never know when we’ll get new David Bromberg music, but let’s hope he stays unretired for years to come.