No one will confuse country legend Charlie Louvin’s first studio album in over ten years with the recordings he made in the ‘50s and ‘60s as one-half of the Louvin Brothers — whose close harmonies remain the country music gold standard. Louvin’s voice is stronger than most as he nears 80 and his supporting cast is an inspired and arbitrary mix of country music vets (George Jones. Bobby Bare Sr., Tom T. Hall), alt.country performers (Tift Merritt, Jeff Tweedy, Paul Burch), indie-rock kids (Alex McManus of Bright Eyes, Eef Barzalay of Clem Snide) and Elvis Costello, but this is more like an unexpected after-dinner mint than a full course meal. It’s refreshing and touching, honest and essential as it serves as a snapshot of a man who helped define a country music that hardly exists today. Producer Mark Nevers keeps things simple, focusing on Louvin’s voice, putting the tasteful, traditional country arrangements in the background. Acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and dobro make their presence lightly felt, as Louvin revisits his old music from Jimmie Rodgers’ “Waiting For a Train” to his own touching tribute to his late brother “Ira.” Heartfelt throughout.