Indeed, this kind of ambient expression across a full album will not be for everyone. But Robert Shroeder takes on the challenge of presenting some well-played compositions of this type on Spaces Of A Dream.

A chunky rocker featuring Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on lead guitar rumbles under Kenny Dubman’s vocal on “Old Dogs,” the opener on his latest Conflicted.

The vibrato bar lovemaking and infiltrating organ on the wonderful “Covidy Blues” (another sure showcase for guitar and another of my faves here), had me back on my heels it’s so cool!

This almost sounds Disney-esque; that’s how much of a standard this song could become, like something we sing for years to come.

The slow plod of keys and overdriven chorus of keys work against (in a good way) the shank beat on the Enya-like “I Love My Father,” a song that mines a deeply emotional by midway, and it’s probably my favorite track here.

If I’m not mistaken, it’s that mandola, something Vanderveen plays very well indeed, that is the featured string instrument on the second-to-last tune, a Dylan-sounding “Exit Inside.”

Presently the Wilson sisters (Ann’s sister Nancy, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter is the other have of Heart’s creative team) are at odds in how to carry on their band. It’s nothing that Ann claims is a big rift, but Nancy wants to rest on the band’s legacy output, and Anna wants to explore new music. 

N.J. son Harrison make good for John Prine and us all, on Dear John.

I’d advise getting your hands on Lochness Monster’s Working for a Future.

Again, Eric Anders and Mark O’Bitz are great players-songwriters-musicians; no doubt about it, I just feel with Variant Blues they may have gone to the same well too many times.