Singer songwriter Dave Jordan is back with another collection of stellar songs, which clearly establish him—for those who ever doubted—as one of the best lyricists on the scene today. Produced by Anders Osborne and featuring George Porter, Jr. on bass, Chad Cromwell on drums and the secret weapon, Rurik Nunan, on violin and viola, Keep Going brims with feeling and emotion.

The first time I heard the opening cut, “Gone Again,” was at an outdoor gig during the November 2021 lull in the pandemic. Partying with family and friends, all I noticed about the song was this amazing couplet: “Sometimes it feels like a hurricane, when it ain’t nothing but some wind and rain.”

But hearing the song in full, especially the first verse, which is just Jordan and his acoustic guitar, I realized this tune is really deep in the style of John Prine, one of Jordan’s heroes. That late great songwriter gets something like a shout out on the final cut of the album, “Pink Supermoon.”

While most of the nine songs tread familiar musical terrain in the Americana vein—sympathetic strings, great grooves, wonderful backing vocals—one cut, “I Don’t Want to Leave This Dream,” is a tour de force. It starts like a pining-for-a-lost-love lament with a recurring chorus, “I ain’t movin’ on,” but there are musical hints early on that this isn’t just another tearjerker.

The song continues to build, drops to a piano solo from Eric Adcock, before Jordan’s voice comes back—anguished, adamant and desperate—“I ain’t movin’ on!” The music mirrors the emotionality with a revved-up, reverbed guitar from Osborne and a final bass drum beat before the whole thing collapses into emptiness. Powerful stuff.

Keep Going was recorded at the famed Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana. It is destined to be another classic from that facility filled with flourishes and embellishments that provide immense enjoyment long after you know all the words.