Raul Malo – You’re Only Lonely

After a solo album and a reunion with the Mavericks several years ago, Raul Malo has made his independence permanent. His solo vision differs little from that of the Mavs — an effortless blending of vintage pre-rock pop with smooth Nashville Sound fare, lounge standards, Bakersfield twang, ’60s easy listening hits, and whatever else works.

He’s aided on You’re Only Lonely by a producer who understands his vision about as well as anyone: Peter Asher. Following his own stardom as half of the British Invasion duo Peter & Gordon, Asher reinvented himself as a peerless producer responsible for, among other things, Linda Ronstadt’s classic albums.

This record’s focus on moody ballads is not unlike Frank Sinatra’s classic ’50s ballad albums, though Malo addresses a wider-ranging repertoire than Sinatra ever did. The intimate, intense vocals, smoothly understated arrangements, and Asher’s knowing production create total cohesion.

All of that allows “Tomorrow Night” (a 1948 hit for bluesman Lonnie Johnson) to easily coexist alongside Randy Newman’s “Feels Like Home” (repeated at the end with guest Martina McBride), Malo’s intense, Latin-flavored original “For You”, Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground”, Wayne Newton’s “Games That Lovers Play” the Everly Brothers’ “So Sad”, and the Bee Gees’ “Run To Me”. A masterful rendition of Etta James’ “At Last” returns the song to its pre-R&B roots as a 1942 Glenn Miller Orchestra hit (crooned by another ballad master, Ray Eberle).

Malo’s quirky, quality vision may never reach a mass audience. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to concern him.