ABKCO

The former Animals vocalist’s latest follows on the heels of a Springsteen-stoked resurgence after SXSW 2012, and uber-veteran Eric Burdon delivers a platter with a little something for every fan. The blues loom largest but his “longhaired, leaping gnome” ambles on a few cuts, the workingman’s politics of his ‘60s singles lurk, and there’s always that authoritative, emotive voice filled with lustiness and streetwise observations. Burdon rolled up his sleeves to co-write 10 of the set’s originals alongside complementary tunes by Marc Cohn and Bo Diddley. The playing is pro-smooth, and while some of the roughness of Burdon’s recent EP with The Greenhornes would have enlivened proceedings, it’s hard to knock this solid, reflective long-player by one of rock’s top survivors.