The Nighthawks get a lot of power out of a simple setup of guitar, bass, drums and blues harp. Players have come and gone since the group formed in the early '70s, but the heady brew largely stayed the same—until, that is, the quartet decided to change its formula with last year's Last Train to Bluesville. The new acoustic album represents both a new direction and an homage to the past. Songs bump against the walls of a juke joint, though melancholy silence also sits in as a new and welcome member of the group. Less amplified, more countrified, still all blues. —Andrew Ritchey