Dwight Twilley was hailed as the Godfather of New Wave for his 1976 debut album Sincerely and its blistering monster of a single, "I"m On Fire," holding firm to their rootsy, fashion-be-damned ethos with single-minded devotion ever since. Bookended by the rockabilly-fueled romps "Better Watch Out" and "Flippin"," this is arguably the richest, most focused collection Twilley has cut since returning home to Tulsa in the mid-90"s. With original Twilley band guitarist Bill Pitcock IV adding a welcome edge, the veteran singer-songwriter"s innate gift for distilling his Elvis/Lennon-McCartney fixations into timeless pop perfection is showcased on songs that range from the impressionistic, neo-lullaby title track and haunting harmonies of "King of the Mountain" to "Chance of a Lifetime"s trademark goldmine-of-hooks and the melancholy melodramatics of "To Wait is to Waste." Twilley remains both resilient power-pop icon and fiercely independent artistic spirit, a legacy that reverberates from every cut here. -- Jerry McCulley