José González

It's been several years since González released an album of new material. One interesting thing about this is that, since 2007's "In Our Nature," there have been massive sonic, stylistic and technical upheavals across the musical landscapes - and yet in many ways "Vestiges & Claws" sounds like it could have been recorded at the same sessions as "In Our Nature." I'm not sure what this indicates - maybe just that González has a very consistent vision and style. In any case, he's a wonderfully fluid acoustic guitar stylist, and his delicate vocal melodies and arrangements produce songs that are consistently engaging and darkly lullabaic (and I'm pretty sure that, while "lullabaic" isn't actually an adjective, it SHOULD be). "With the Ink of a Ghost," "Leaf Off/The Cave" and "Afterglow" (not the Genesis song of the same title) are standout tracks on a lovely, seductive recording.

- RICK KOSTER