Jimmie Dale Gilmore has spent his career challenging long-held perceptions of what country music can and should sound like, but with Come On Back he pays tribute to the music’s oldest traditions. The album consists of 13 readings of country songs from the ‘40s and ‘50s and as implied by the title, this is very much a homecoming. Come On Back is dedicated to Gilmore’s father, an aspiring guitar picker who reared his son on these tunes. Gilmore is backed by a pared-down band led by longtime collaborator and fellow Lubbock native Joe Ely, who also produced. The album works both as master class in country songwriting, and personal retrospective. While many legendary figures are represented (Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline), Gilmore has chosen lesser-known songs. His swinging take on Patsy Cline’s “Pick Me Up On Your Way Down” (written by Harlan Howard) is delightful, while Jim Reeves’ “Four Walls” has never sounded more fragile. These songs invite his personal touch, and he interprets the canonical works—“Walking the Floor Over You,” “Train of Love,” “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” — with sincerity and grace.