Hot on the heels of last year's retrospective All Time Favorites, Al Tuck releases his seventh album, Under Your Shadow, courtesy of New Scotland Records, and it may be his best yet.

Sparely backed by some crack colleagues, Al's gorgeous guitar and unmatched voice steal the show, whether lamenting the loss of his Creole beauty (in the seductive “Wishing Well”) or tipping his hat with a weary smile to his outsider brethren (the lyrical tour-de-force of “Under Your Shadow”). His voice has rarely sounded more confident, and his songwriting has never been tighter or more precise. Striking lyrical imagery abounds.

The songs sound at once familiar and intensely inventive. With luck from the musical gods, this may be the album to finally reach an audience as large as Tuck's talent.