Iron and Wine: The Shepherd's Dog

Label: Sub Pop

I&W started out as just singer-songwriter Sam Beam, but he’s fully moved into the band format now. He has done so without sacrificing the distinctiveness of his sound or the ethereal intimacy of his singing, and his songwriting remains compelling, even without obvious hooks. All the musicians on his 2005 EP Woman King return, as do Lambchop’s Paul Niehaus and Calexico’s Joey Burns from the In the Reins EP. For a guy who started out completely solo, Beam’s certainly showing a talent for colorful and varied arrangements, from the not-so-surprising pedal-steel-guitar-flavored country (that could be Burns’s influence) on several songs to the Afro-pop groove (!) on “House by the Sea” (complete with sax) and the mix of rock, reggae, and funk on “Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog).” It may not be what we expect from Iron and Wine, but given how good the results are, it’s a welcome development. (Steve)