Pat McLaughlin makes soulful, country-inflected rock ’n’ roll sound so easy and natural that it seems like every city ought to have at least a few musicians like him cranking out songs around town. But not every city does, which is a testament to his ability to make well-crafted songs sound effortless. McLaughlin doesn’t perform as much as he used to, having settled into a life of songwriting in Nashville, and if your songwriting life means sitting down for an afternoon here and there with John Prine and you write hits periodically, you’d probably play less too.

 

His new album, Horsefly, presents the charms that fans who remember McLaughlin from Tiny Town will recognize—passionate music with lyrics that seem personal, insightful and resonant. Two Tiny Town songs are included here—“Little Child” and “Baby Ain’t Got No Home”—both of which are fine, but neither represent significant improvements over the originals. The lead track, “God and Everybody,” presents McLaughlin at his finest, and his vocals have rarely sounded as relaxed as they do here. Horsefly won’t change anyone’s life, but it’s a reminder of how deceptively easy really good music can sound.