John Hiatt is from Indiana. Lived in Broad Ripple, in the heart of Indianapolis. He ran off to Nashville, then to LA for a brief period, before settling back in Nashville many years ago. That Hoosier/Midwest/heartland vibe has always slithered through his music, especially from 1987’s Bring the Family forward. His new album is no different; it is Hiatt stories, ringing electric guitars, some swampy blues undercurrents, and a raspy familiarity that is well-earned.
Hiatt’s new album (it came out August 2) Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns was recorded in Nashville and was produced by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes). He hooked up with Shirley, whom he’d met in the ’90s, after the producer sent word through Hiatt’s manager.
Video: “Damn This Town”
“He called my manager, Ken Levitan, and said, ‘Tell John I’ve been listening to what he’s doing, I know where he’s trying to go and I think I can help him get there,'” Hiatt told teh LA Times. “I’d never heard that before in my life. I was so intrigued I said, ‘Hell, yeah.'”
VIDEO: Making of the album
ROCKFORWARD MUSIC 
52 minutes later and I’m back. Listened to the whole thing. That was a pretty solid effort. I don’t think there’s one killer standout track here, but there also isn’t a cut that doesn’t belong. My favorites, on first listen, were “I Love That Girl”, “Don’t Wanna Leave You Now”, “Detroit Made” and “Adios to California.”
I’m not a big lyrics guy…and I was working on a project while listening so I was absorbing the music more than the words…but I think I heard the phrase “have a little faith” in at least 2 songs. Nice way to tie in the current music with the classic Hiatt.
Thanks for the review! I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know Hiatt had released a new album. I am now listening to this via the Spotify account I just got the other day…just a couple minutes into the music right now, but I like what I’m hearing so far. Keep rockin’ forward, Rob!