Dig My Mood

Since the mid-1990s, Nick Lowe has been a different artist than baby-boom new wavers might recall from his associations with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and his two great early solo albums, “Jesus of Cool” and “Labour of Love.” He has emphasized taste and feeling, using idioms more familiar to fans of “countrypolitan” sound of mid-1960s Nashville, the restrained pop of crooners like Perry Como or Nat “King” Cole, and the emotionally guarded mid-1970s records by Eric Clapton, and then added to that the natural wit and charisma that he has always displayed. To me, this album is the best manifestation of his later style. “Dig My Mood” is the second album of what was deemed a trilogy that arose from the demise of a serious romance. Most of the songs document with amazing restraint the riot of feelings that one goes through in such circumstances, from nostalgia, anger, self-pity, self-loathing, distraction, resolve, fragile optimism, relief. All three of the records in that grouping — “The Impossible Bird” and “The Convincer” being the bookends — are worth a listen, but this one is very strong. To start with, download “Lonesome Reverie,” a cheery song about gloom. Then go for a couple of tunes that Cole would have been proud to sing, “You Inspire Me” and “Freezing,” which encapsulate romantic moments still very alive to the singer. Also terrific, and worth downloading if you want to cherry pick this album: “High on a Hilltop,” “Faithless Lover,” “Time I Took a Holiday.” The post-trilogy works, “At My Age” and “The Old Magic” are also quite good, and if you like this, you’ll like them too. Lowe’s not the scene-maker he was in the 1970s, but he’s a much more valuable artist now.