Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock regroup after five years off, though Hills and Valleys plays with a warm front porch feel that sounds like they’ve been jamming together every night. The Ely sung “Homeland Refugee” is a midtempo ditty that sets the tone with topical lyrics about the American dream crumbling in the wake of the George W. Bush administration. The load gets lighter on the bouncing Tex-Mex infused “No Way I’ll Never Need You” with Gilmore’s endearingly warbling voice crooning a bashful love song. “Just About Time” follows with a honky-tonkin’ roadhouse rocker, and even if you’ve never toured in a traveling band, the rustic poetry in “Thank God for The Road” will make you feel like you have. Woody Guthrie’s “Sowing On the Mountain” gets Flatlanded with a country shuffle and twangy Telecasters tastefully mixed under three-part harmonies. Much of Hills and Valleys sounds pristine and clear enough for commercial radio because GRAMMY award winner Lloyd Maines (father of Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines) produced it, and he also contributes acoustic guitar, pedal steel and dobro on this much welcomed Flatlanders' return.