Sound: Craig Finn’s in-your-face narratives and the band’s meaty riffs, dancing piano, driving organ and boogie-inducing horns are still present. But this time around, they add many new flavors – skittering harpsichord, whimsical synthesizer, metal-power-ballad guitar solo, brooding mandolin, even a talk box (think Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do” or Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart”).

Heavy Rotation track: “One for the Cutters”

Medium Rotation tracks: “Sequestered In Memphis”; “Slapped Actress”; “Stay Positive”; “Lord, I’m Discouraged”; “Joke About Jamaica”; “Yeah Sapphire”; “Both Crosses”

Recommended: It’s exciting to hear The Hold Steady branch out and successfully add so many surprising and bold colors to their palette. Stay Positive is a very consistent album, but it’s a little short on standout tracks – which puts it just a notch below Boys and Girls in America (my #7 album of 2006). And though Craig Finn’s tales of partying, relationships, religion and death are always compelling, they’re not quite as gripping as they were on previous albums.

Grade: A-