Electric

When the axe of six-string wizard Buddy Miller is relegated to supporting-role status, you know you've got a heavyweight guitar hero at the helm. Miller produced Electric and added a bit of instrumental support, but Richard Thompson's combination of inspiration and exactitude on his weapon of choice is as unmatchable here as ever. The British folk-rock icon also remains a monster songwriter, of course, so while the thorny riffs and licks of visceral tunes like "Sally B." and "Stuck on the Treadmill" will keep guitar aficionados happy, Thompson's pen proves as powerful as his pick. When he takes aim at his targets on "Good Things Happen to Bad People" and "Straight and Narrow," you almost feel sorry for them, knowing their takedown is imminent and unstoppable. As always, the softer side of Thompson's muse gets its day as well, as on the beautiful-but-ominous, goosebump-inducing "The Snow Goose" (with harmonies courtesy of Alison Krauss) and the sweet (but not sugary) acoustic ode to a latter-day love, "Saving the Good Stuff for You."