Like a good friend, or a father to his child, singer Gabriel Gilbert's lyrics share advice and wonder over the gifts and risks of growing into an adult. Like Pearl Jam or Tom Petty, the song's beat is organic American rock but crisp. Bright guitar solo triumphs with a surprise flourish, a liberation from the melodic run of folk rock guitar that plays throughout. Deep bass thumps with the drum like U2 or Coldplay, nearing an anthem or stadium-rock pace.

EVERYTHING I KNOW

The tapestry of slide guitar, piano and rich baritone backing vocals evoke The Eagles and Tim McGraw in this ballad. Optimistic, the song's narrator encourages his more experienced mentor to bounce back from life's raw deals. People are counting on the captain to lead them back to open sea.

LET THE RIVER RUN

This instrumental journey features 12-string guitar and piano. As the title suggests, listeners can imagine standing over the shoulder of a painter. Meditative and dynamically arranged, The Painter's dynamic melody lines rise and fall in peaks and valleys. This brief classically-infused piece leaves listeners peaceful and accomplished...like the painter.

THE PAINTER

Bright mandolin intro and steady mid-tempo soon have an uneasy guest, as the vocalist paints a family making the best of living in a trailer. Lyrics avoid cliche at all costs, as "Be Country" is finally an uplifting elegy for America's breadbasket. Make no mistake: this ain't no bro-country.

BE COUNTRY

R&B construction plays underneath the hood of this 70s throwback, call and response. Echoing Van Morrison to more modern day Chris Stapleton, "Soulful" bends genres but barrels straight down the middle of the road. Thoughtful lyrics unfold a man urging a lover, a grownup child, somebody, to see the world--even as he frets the loss.

SOULFUL

Gilbert channels the Johnny Cash in us all, and his protagonist stumbles into a bad situation. So, well, the title is its own spoiler alert. Big baritone Danelectro guitar sounds the theme in this stripped down alt country rock soul-searcher.

COME ON KISS ME

Braids of R&D and country capture listeners, dropped into a small town and its tangled web. Stakes get raised verse by verse in "Stay" as an ensemble of acoustic, electric and strings bring us to live with some unsettling decisions.

STAY

"Roar" evades categories, but it resides somewhere between The Shins and Springsteen. Swings from the moody to the melodic include an up-tempo chorus and lyrics that tackle coming-of-age.

ROAR

The groove is on with this into-the-mystic number, driven by thumping acoustic and New Orleans-infused horns. A mellow layer of Hammond organ with lite haunting notes from Gabriel Gilbert's electric guitar, the title of this track evokes the famed Beatles hit. But Gilbert is talking about friends -- not lovers -- who must in the deep, deep shit. This is Marvin Gaye joins the Marines: loyalty is all you've got in the DMZ.

Like Let It Be

Singer-songwriter and novelist Gabriel Gilbert splits time between rural Wisconsin and Florida. He is a father and a dog person. His 2018 album, "Dirt Road Street Smarts," is available on Amazon, iTunes and Spotify. "Selfies, A Novel" is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books and other fine booksellers.

Gabriel Gilbert & His 7 Story Band