Is Vic Chesnutt prolific all of a sudden?

This is coming out hot on the tail of Chesnutt’s summer release, the excellent At The Cut. How can some folker you’ve never heard of put out two quality releases in the span of less than half a year?

Easy. Bring in the big guns. Jonathan. Richman. That’s right! Jonathan Richman, the musical genius of Modern Lovers fame guests here as a cowriter and guitarist, bringing his personal drummer with him, and releasing the album from his label. Richman’s influence is barely audible; he distinct voice is silent and his guitar-work is understated. Still, songs like “Society Sue” and “Dick Cheney” have the unmistakable feel of Richman’s songwriting.

The Richman-Chesnutt collaboration seemed to come out of left field, but it feels just right on record.