BLUE LINE is the fourth studio album from Californographic singer-songwriter Maurice Tani and 77 El Deora. The 13-track collection provides another spin with Tani through his original narratives of open roads and closed chapters and, as always, a unique take on a few classics. “When I’m Drinkin’ (I Ain’t Thinkin’)” is classic hillbilly noir—a honky tonk shuffle that contemplates the nature of “filters” and alcohol as a lubricant for social interaction. “Fields of Green,” (co-written with Ken Owen and Paul Griffiths) is a romantic ode on the classical theme of a realization that there’s no place like home. Queueing up a cover, Maurice and the band then brings a moody and erotic blend to Chuck Berry’s classic “Nadine.” Tani’s long-time muse and sparring partner-in-crime Jenn Courtney renders the intimate “Three Flights to L.A.” in breathy, cascading tones: “She’s Venus in repose tonight.” And then, reprised from Tani’s checkered music past (as Calamity & Main, from Honky Tonk Heaven, WIR 0103 2003), “Twisted” makes a comeback in fresh dungarees with smokin’ fiddle and mandolin solos. “I Think of You” (also penned with Owen) is a dark ballad of unrequited love, jealousy and desperation that will chill the bones of the warmest soul. English songstress Pam Brandon makes the first of two appearances with “New Dress,” a moody yet freedom-claiming impressionist tale of personal rejuvenation. Maurice takes a bluesy-jazzy approach to Mario DeSio‘s “Red Wine,” which features an extensive, soaring sax solo over a liquid, dreamy groove. Track 9 is a shadowy re-imagining of Burt Bacharach’s classic “Walk On By” swathed in lush pedal steel pads and reverb guitar; instantly recognizable yet singular in style. The album’s rustic and sparsely-arranged title track “Blue Line” is a sordid tale of power, excess, corruption and “redemption” at the hands of fate. (Disclaimer: Any similarity to persons living or dead, or events past or future, is purely coincidental.) “Happy Hour” (yet another penned with Owen) is a broken-hearted honky tonk lament that features a soaring melody, pedal steel hijinx and a protagonist that clings to hope where none appears to be. The character in Jim Bruno’s “Don’t Say It’s Over” is a bit less delusional, but just as committed to a relationship that appears to have fallen apart. Blue Line ends with vocalist Brandon back for a duet with Maurice on a gorgeously dark take on Hank Williams‘ jukebox favorite, “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”