Record Review

Kris Kristofferson

"This album is dedicated to the spirit of my soul-brother Stephen Bruton," writes Kris Kristofferson in the liner notes of Closer to the Bone, and indeed the late Austin guitarist's spirit touches everything here. Whether in his high twang ringing against Kristofferson's leathered drawl on the opening title track or his immaculate guitar and mandolin shading the songwriter's intimate verses, Bruton's presence supplies close comfort to the album's reflections on mortality, aging, doubt. While the album proves Kristofferson's most personal collection of songs since its 1981 namesake, To the Bone, its tone eschews that disc's turmoil and regret for one of unharried contemplation and tribute. Arrangements remain sparse and subdued, and there's an encapsulating sense of familiarity in Kristofferson's raw poignancy, whether introducing "From Here to Forever" as written for his kids or the hilarious hidden track penned when he was only "11 years old and well on my way." While impending loss frames the 73-year-old's focus through "Starlight and Stone," the touching Johnny Cash elegy "Good Morning John," and "Hall of Angels," that's tempered by a recognition of blessings in tunes like "Holy Woman" and closer "The Wonder."