Ever notice that modern-day Americana is far too short on party songs? Pouring out your darkest secrets is fine and all, but you’ve gotta enjoy yourself sometime. And celebrated songwriter Seth Walker’s latest is proof that you can write party-friendly tunes without sounding like a bonehead or a Buffett clone. “It’s high time we had a high time together,” Walker announces on the opening track, but its gospel harmonies and acoustic guitar add some musical depth. “Way Past Midnight” celebrates the soul-restoring aspects of a good wild evening. Driven along by double drums and Booker T–style organ, its good spirits don’t even flag when the singer loses both his keys and his date as the song (and the night) concludes.

Elsewhere Walker shows a knack for wrapping deep statements into appealing grooves. “Turn This Thing Around” could be about any number of things—the lyrics could apply equally to a failing relationship or the political climate—but the singalong chorus makes the point without fuss. The title track is the kind of song you’ve heard a million times—a singer testifying about the love that’s saved him from his old destructive ways—but he realizes nobody’s going to care unless the melody carries the emotions, and he resists the temptation to over-sing. A recent Austin transplant to New Orleans, Walker largely sticks with Austin-styled, country-ish arrangements with acoustic lead guitar. He tastefully works in the new local influences—a parade rhythm here, a supple bassline there—without trying to take it all in at once.