CARLL,HAYES / Alone Together

"How often," singer-songwriter Hayes Carll asks, speaking of his older material, "does someone get to go back in, change the rhythms, turn up guitars, shift the perspective of a lyric or the delivery of a vocal?" If you're one of contemporary Americana's most in-demand performers: not often. However, a rare break in touring presented Carll with precisely that-an opportunity to revisit (and reimagine) some of the best and most beloved songs in his catalog. Enter the Alone Together Sessions. With songwriter-producer Darrell Scott behind the boards, Carll cut eleven gorgeous acoustic tracks, including a reworked version of 2008's "Drunken Poet's Dream," which, on this release, features the legendary Ray Wylie Hubbard. For first-timers, the Alone Together Sessions work as a point of entry to Carll's songbook; for old fans, it's a delightful return to form.