When celebrated sidemen Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner, and Nick Lowe were not available to record the follow-up to his revelatory Bring the Family album, John Hiatt went with the anonymous guys in his touring band. Fortunately, the Goners were more than up for the task, matching the ragged exhilaration in Hiatt's voice throughout a dozen sterling songs, making Slow Turning at least as good as its predecessor.

Tony Peltier