When you can write songs like Kris Kristofferson, you don't need to decorate them with a bunch of fancy junk. So on This Old Road, the country maverick's first studio disc of new material in over a decade, he doesn't.

He just sits down with his acoustic guitar, his harmonica and his craggy voice, and -- with the occasional bit of help from old pals like guitarist Stephen Bruton and drummer Jim Keltner -- he casually shares some plainspoken, honest reflections on love, loss and contemporary society, along with his favourite topic, freedom.

Producer Don Was, who also helmed Kris's last disc, knows enough to set up the mics, hit record early enough to get his folksly introductions on tape, play a little bass when it's needed, and generally stay the hell out of the way of the master.

With Kristofferson's 70th birthday looming on the horizon, it is perhaps no surprise that he spends a lot of time reminiscing on this laid-back disc.

But it definitely is a surprise -- and a pleasant one -- to learn that age has diminished neither the purity of his vision nor the spark that drives his songcraft.

Let's hope he doesn't make us wait another decade to hear it again.

Track Listing:

1. This Old Road
2. Pilgrim's Progress
3. The Last Thing To Go
4. Wild American
5. In The News
6. The Burden Of Freedom
7. Chase The Feeling
8. Holy Creation
9. The Show Goes On
10. Thank You For A Life
11. Final Attraction