The Jayhawks: Gary Louris (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica); Tim O'Reagan (vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, congas, percussion); Stephen McCarthy (vocals, pedal & lap steel, banjo); Matthew Sweet (vocals); Ethan Johns (acoustic & electric guitars, dulcimer, piano, pump organ, harmonium, chamberlain, percussion, loops); Richard Causon (accordion, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, chamberlain, harmonium); Bernie Leadon (banjo). Additional personnel: Chris Stills (vocals, percussion); Jakob Dylan (vocals). Recorded at Sunset Sound Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California. The Jayhawks: Gary Louris (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica); Tim O'Reagan (vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, congas, percussion); Stephen McCarthy (vocals, pedal & lap steel, banjo); Matthew Sweet (vocals); Ethan Johns (acoustic & electric guitars, dulcimer, piano, pump organ, harmonium, chamberlain, percussion, loops); Richard Causon (accordion, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, chamberlain, harmonium); Bernie Leadon (banjo). Additional personnel: Chris Stills (vocals, percussion); Jakob Dylan (vocals). Recorded at Sunset Sound Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California. You never can tell what Americana/alt-country heroes the Jayhawks will do next. They started out with two voices in singer/songwriters Marc Olsen (sp?) and Gary Louris. After Olsen split, Louris spearheaded the band's most angular, least country album THE SOUND OF LIES, but RAINY DAY MUSIC turns the tables yet again by presenting the softest, most acoustic, ballad-oriented side the band has ever shown. Things start out fairly perky with the sparkling, jangly folk-rock of "Stumbling Through the Dark" and the poppy "Tailspin," but after that the melodic acoustic guitars and golden harmony vocals recall nothing so much as vintage Crosby, Stills & Nash. This is obviously no accident, as "Madman," the most overtly CSN-like tune, features a guest appearance by none other than Steve Stills's son Chris. Louris's top-notch singing and winning way with a melody carry through the album brilliantly. If someone's going to represent '70s-style folk-rock in the 21st century, RAINY DAY MUSIC leaves little doubt about the guys to whom the task should fall.

• Genre: Rock
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 09/30/2014