One loves the directness and pristine, historically informed approach but it reads a little dry early in the record. "My Old Friend" is great and the last three cuts are strong, too, and maybe slightly more alive (even if some regrettably tinny synth notes sneak in). Transcendental Blues is better but this is still classic and a pleasure to revisit. One's happy that Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam and other traditionalists are out there, teaching us what we need to know and keeping the legacies alive.