Whenever a new Hiatt album comes out, I have to remind myself that even a musician of his caliber can't always live up to the expectation that he has created for himself with classics such as Bring the Family and Slow Turning... However, I was pleasantly surprised by Beneath this Gruff Exterior. This disc exceeded all my expectations, and keeps getting better with each listen.

Having the Goners (including slide genius Sonny Landreth) makes these new songs shine, and lyrically the songs are catchier and smarter than anything John has come out with since Walk On.

If you're a Hiatt fan than this is naturally a must have, but I also recommend it highly as a first introduction to his music!

It takes a true artist to turn personal anguish into something total strangers can dance to. John Hiatt ROUTINELY does this two or three times per album. I know most reviewers are talking about The Goners and how they share equal billing here (and no doubt they deserve to--guitarist Sonny Landreth is a mad scientist in the best sense of the term), but "Beneath This Gruff Exterior" is a revelation to me because Hiatt is really pouring his emotions into this songs these days. He's just about my favorite touring artist because of incredible slices of life like "My Dog and Me" and the amazing "The Nagging Dark," where he openly admits to the world that every move he makes is shrouded because of his battles with depression. It's a shame we are living in a world where the most insipid and dumb stuff gets all the airplay, but this is rocking, expert, brilliant work by four total artists. Run, don't walk....push that buy button. John Hiatt, a Hall of Famer if there ever was one. Caveat: The recording job on this one is barely better than the one on "Tiki Bar"; it's all muddy and midrange. What gives?

I have purchased every Hiatt record since Riding With the King and loved them all in varying degrees. Beneath This Gruff Exterior is destined to be one of his all time greats. It is so alive and funky and fun and it has more cohesion that the previous effort Tiki Bar. It appears that John and the guys let it all out and played these songs like a live show. Best of all the songs are strong and emotive, as is his signature. Rock on John.

I had sort of lost track of John Hiatt until a recent live acoustic show (with Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, and a few others), where he stole the show lock stock and perfectly good guitar. Low and behold: a new JH album came out soon thereafter and I had to get it. If you get a chance to see him in concert---go go GO. It's worth it.

Hiatt still writes outstanding songs and this collection is no exception. Some of his recent work has veered into the predictable or less inspired, but I've found this disc in the player time and again. I can't say for sure why: I remember late 80's and early 90's albums more reverently, and these songs don't have quite the spice that earlier work did... but this is still tasty and hummable and well pretty darned good.

John Hiatt is probably one of the dozen best songwriters around and he continues to prove it. This album enforces that statement. Like most of Hiatt's work this CD will sneak up on you and you'll find yourself thinking or singing, "S**t flyin' in my head from every direction; I'm just thinkin'about an uncommon connection" and have no idea where it came from. The songs are solid and Hiatt's nod to depresion, "The Nagging Dark" and his attitude toward it, "Some call it the blues, I call it a song" remind you he's dealt with it.

Musically, the album rocks with a few exceptions, such as the melodic "My Dog and Me." If you've never listened to John Hiatt, I'd recommend starting with the album, "Slow Turning" or "Perfectly Good Guitar" but this is worth several listens.