You’ve got to go back to 1980’s Truth Decay or maybe 1986’s self-titled country album to find anything resembling a lighthearted T Bone Burnett album, and his return to recording in 2006—The True False Identity—was dourer than ever. He seems to walk through our music culture in love with our roots—much of it fun—internalize it, then convert it into something dark and apocalyptic. This music emerged in collaboration with Sam Sheppard for a restaging of a play from 1972, and from the reviews I’ve read of the play, it sounds dense, enigmatic and concerned with celebrity. As such, it perfectly suits Burnett’s musical persona as an Old Testament prophet, and surrounded by Marc Ribot and Jim Keltner, he sing-speaks in riddles with a sly sense of humor. The prettiest song? “The Kill Zone.” The most darkly funny rewrite of Bo Diddley? “Anything I Say Can and Will Be Used Against You.” Most haunting Tiki track? “Dope Island,” which features ex-wife Sam Phillips. Can you tell a damn thing about the play from this? Only that no one seems happy.