El Sonido Nuevo

Over his 20-year career Ian Moore has covered a lot of musical territory from bluesy guitar slinger to nuanced and versatile singer-songwriter, and El Sonido Nuevo finds him deftly merging both of these roles. Backed by the Lossy Coils — bassist and backing vocalist Matt Harris and drummer Kyle Schneider, the tight trio turns out a strong batch of songs co-written by Moore and Harris. It’s a varied and cohesive album that includes jangly pop (“Belle, my Butterfly,” “Newfound Station,” “The Dude”), melodic roots rock (“Birds Of Prey,” “Salt Mines,” “Look Inside”), and soulful ballads (“The Hillary Step,” “Sad Affair”), and Moore’s vocals are rich and clear throughout. Though there are tough riffs and taut solos on power-pop standouts “Silver Sunshine,” “Let Me Out,” and “Secondhand Store,” yet much of the guitar work is subtle and inventive, adding color and shape to well-crafted songs without overpowering them. El Sonido Nuevo, Moore’s seventh album, delivers a satisfying blend of styles that lives up to “the new sound” promised in the title.