You might expect David Ball’s Heartaches By the Number to be an unremitting pity-fest. But this stalwart traditionalist extracts pleasure from pain in this set of well-chosen tunes. Though best known for his original tunes, Ball is an expert interpreter of honky-tonk standards, singing old favorites with wounded dignity and self-knowing humor. Avoiding maudlin excess, he treats these familiar tunes like intimate love-letters penned to faithless sweethearts and doused old flames. Augmented by a crisp and agile band, he infuses “What’s Going On In Your World” with a mellowed yearning and brings out the conflicted emotions in the title number. In tracks like “Stop the World and Let Me Off” and “Please Help Me I’m Falling,” he catches both the desperation and fatalism that define the honky-tonk genre. Whether he’s picking up the tempo on “I’m Walking the Dog” or settling into the bruised balladry of “Sweet Dreams,” Ball is on top of his game. He compliments the covers with his own “Please Feed the Jukebox,” a wry celebration of barroom living. This album is Ball’s valentine to the music he loves, offered with respect and passion.