Into the Mystery

David Wilcox writes in the liner notes of Into the Mystery that he feels as though his first ten albums were practice and now he's really cooking. Perhaps the subtitle of the disc could have been "How David Got His Groove Back," because he certainly did, not that it was ever lost, necessarily. Into the Mystery is a gloriously lovely and straightforward collection of compositions and performances, each supporting the other to attain its simple yet somehow lofty aim of being easy on the ears. For the most part, this is the kind of disc you can put on while shuffling around the house on a quiet weekend morning. Only "Apple a Day" and "Ask for More" break the laid-back vibe. Wilcox co-wrote a few of the tunes, teaming with fellow troubadours Pierce Pettis and Maia Sharp, who are both thoughtfully talented in their own rights. No, there's nothing inherently earth-shattering about anything heard within these 13 tracks. Nonetheless, it is at least partially earth-shattering that an artist can still achieve (and set) such high standards after so many recordings.