She Brings Me Back to the Land of the Living

The title phrase of the album is described by Nugent in its liner notes as an unexpected phrase said by his mother during stroke recovery, and it does suit this easy-going and warm album, a kind of combination of folk, country-rock and singer-songwriter vibes that feels beamed in from a half-century prior. Nugent’s singing suggests the dry yet warm tones of Robert Forster, while Dan Lead is a backing standout on pedal steel throughout, while songs like the slow-burn build of “High Up Airplane” and “I’ve Been Down” let Nugent show off his own electric guitar chops.