After Hours

1	Love Make a Fool of Me 4:19
2	It's Only Natural 3:01
3	Interlude 0:41
4	Better Word for Love 3:26
5	Blues About You Baby 2:32
6	Do Nothin' Day 3:06
7	Trip Around the Sun 4:02
8	Right on Time 4:18
9	In My Dreams 2:20
10	Movin' into the Light 3:23
11	What's a Thousand Miles 3:53
12	Let's Get Away for the Weekend 3:49
13	Another Place I Don't Belong 2:59
14	Two Survivors Bonus Track 3:49

Barnes & Noble

On his first solo album in a decade, venerable NRBQ guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Big Al Anderson delivers the goods -- exquisite melodies, laid-back rhythms, a mellow vibe, and direct lyrics with a wry twist, all delivered in a voice smooth as honey. And while lately he's become one of country music's most sought-after tunesmiths, penning hits for Delbert McClinton, Carlene Carter, the Mavericks, and Trisha Yearwood, After Hours is largely designed for saloon swooning in the wee small hours. He sets the tone with the pop-torch tune "Love Make a Fool of Me," which would be right at home in any piano bar, with brush drums, flutes, piano, tasty pedal steel moans, and Anderson crooning seductively and wondrously about falling head over heels -- and loving every minute of it. On the gently shuffling pop blues "Do Nothing Day," his co-writer Sharon Vaughn takes a sultry, languid lead vocal on a tune driven by a small, jazz-conversant combo featuring piano, stand-up bass, vibes, sax, and flute. Anderson displays a raft of soulful stylings, all beautifully realized, from the lively western swing toe-tapper "Blues About You Baby" to the moody introspection in the stark, folk-flavored plea "Movin' into the Light" and a delicious bit of Dr. John-style N'awlins come-ons in "Let's Get Away for the Weekend" (with a trombone-trumpet-clarinet section that's having a lot of fun blowing cool and sexy). After Hours is a real gem, one of this year's real keepers. David McGee

All Music Guide

Al Anderson has been playing rock & roll for close to four decades now, so who could blame him if he wanted to take a break from the stuff for a little while? Still best known for his long tenure as the genius guitar picker with NRBQ and now doing business as a successful Nashville tunesmith, Anderson shows off his passion for jazz, Western swing, acoustic country, and smooth ballad crooning on After Hours, and though anyone expecting a replay of the barrelhouse roots rock of 1996's Pay Before You Pump is going to be disappointed, this collection of "Big Al, the Moonlight and You" is a thoroughly pleasurable listen. Given the laid-back nature of the material, Anderson's guitar work is subtle on most of these tunes, but he's solidly in the pocket throughout, and gets to show off a bit on snappy numbers such as "Blues About You Baby," and the songs give him a chance to focus on the romantic and personal side of his lyrical muse, especially on "Trip Around the Sun" and "Another Place I Don't Belong." And if Anderson's vocals confirm he's not exactly Sinatra, he's never less than heartfelt, and he brings a natural warmth to "Love Make a Fool of Me," "Better Word for Love," and "Let's Get Away for the Weekend" that's genuinely winning and fits the material perfectly. After Hours is something of an unexpected detour for Al Anderson, but it collects some fine songs played with skill and soul by a master musician, and in that respect it's in the best tradition of Big Al's work, and fans will enjoy this look at his softer side. Mark Deming