Despite having made his name while living in Brooklyn and LA, Kevin Morby is anything but a coastal elite. Little Wide Open, his eighth record as a solo artist, plays like an ode to the middle of America, where the Kansas City-bred Morby now resides part-time in with his partner, Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield.

Nearly all the songs on the expansive 13-track record reference traveling, America or the Midwest in some fashion. “Welcome to the Midwest/ Where the sky knows best/ And you’ll finally get some rest/ ‘Til the tornado sirens start harmonizing,” Morby sings on the anthemic opening track “Badlands” (not to be confused with the Bruce Springsteen anthem).

That ethos is reflected in the music, too. Morby, whose distinctive drawl is like a cross between Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, has always been genre-agnostic, blending indie rock with blues, gospel, psychedelia and folk. Little Wide Open is the most purely Americana offering he’s issues yet, particularly on the twangy, banjo and fiddle-infused love song “Die Young.” The stomp-clap adjacent “Javelin” might be Morby’s hookiest single—and he’s had a few singular songs over the years, from “Harlem River” to “Campfire” and “Beautiful Strangers,” which Mavis Staples covered. Americana icon Lucinda Williams adds her gravely vocals to “Natural Disaster,” a seven-minute slow burn about the societal and personal disasters we all confront on a regular basis.

Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, whose own profile has grown considerably since working with pop stars Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams, Little Wide Open plays like a culmination of Morby’s 13-plus year solo career. Is it Morby’s best record? That may depend on the vibe you’re looking for but there’s an argument for it being the most complete and the most accessible entry point if you’re just tuning in now.