After an eight-year hiatus from recording studios, Junior Brown returned in 2012 with Volume Ten, an album every bit as concise and sharply tailored as the man’s music. While he's a proud heir to the tradition of Ernest Tubb, Johnny Paycheck, and Dave Dudley, Brown is too clever and individualistic to simply rehash the concepts of his forefathers. Understanding that country songwriting has always been topical and autobiographical, he starts things with the hilarious “Hang Up and Drive,” an artfully executed commentary on cellphones. It will someday serve as a time capsule for 2012 the same way songs by Hank and Haggard reflect their eras. Brown’s ode to depression, “Apathy Waltz,” is crafty and sweet-natured, but that doesn’t make it less sincere. Even though he assumes a certain role in his music—just check his garish cover photo—Brown uses songwriting structures and concepts to reveal his inner truths, in the method of the greats who preceded him. “I’m Headed Back to Austin Tonight” and “Trust Me” feel as true to Brown’s heart as “Almost to Tulsa” feels true to his magic fingers.