Jim Keller has had an interesting life. As a co-founder of the band Tommy Tutone, he cowrote one of the greatest power pop songs of the '80s: “867-5309/Jenny.” Then he went on to manage the career of legendary minimalist composer Philip Glass. His third solo album, Heaven Can Wait, is a masterful piece of modern singer/songwriting. Producers Hector Castillo (Beck, David Bowie) and Byron Isaacs (Levon Helm) keep the sound lean and focused. Isaacs cowrote the album with Keller, so no one understands the needs of the tunes more. There's an all-star supporting cast, with guitarists David Hidalgo (of Los Lobos) and Chris Bruce (who’s worked with soul king Solomon Burke), plus keyboardist Glenn Patscha, bassist Jeff Hill, and drummers Yuval Lio and Pete Thomas (of Elvis Costello & The Attractions). Guests including Wilco’s Nels Cline, Marc Ribot, and The Holmes Brothers add touches. It’s a testament to Keller’s strong character that he never gets lost in this shuffle but leads things with a tough baritone that sounds like Tom Waits before wasted days and wasted nights worked over his voice.