Possessing a remarkable gift for sterling melodic craft and richly drawn lyrical scenarios, Freedy Johnston remains one of the most compelling songwriters in contemporary American pop. This, his fourth album, is one of his strongest efforts, as impressive for the vividly drawn characters of "Western Sky" and "Hotel Seventeen" as it is for the pure-pop brilliance of "On the Way Out" and "I'm Not Hypnotized." Despite the unlikely presence of middle-of-the-road specialist Danny Kortchmar as producer and guitarist, the songs are well-served by compact, sharply focused arrangements that spotlight the artist's compositional strengths, and Johnston's plaintive, keening vocals possess an understated strength that gives his tunes an added level of urgency.