Brushing off criticisms that his albums all sound the same as casually as he peels off Chuck Berry licks from his trusty Gibson, George Thorogood keeps the faith on The Hard Stuff. Coproducer Jim Gaines (Jimmy Thackery, Santana, Luther Allison, Stevie Ray Vaughan), who knows his way around a bluesy riff, returns to add his touch. The combination of rugged production with a relatively varied set makes this a keeper in the bulging Thorogood catalog. The guitarist and his band churn through a rollicking set with as much enthusiasm and fire as someone with half his 56 years. The Stonesy attack of "Rock Party" is mixed with high-voltage shuffles ("Takin' Care of Business" [not the BTO tune]), swinging, upbeat instrumentals ("Cool It!"), and the usual assortment of unexpected covers from the likes of Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Fats Domino. Thorogood maintains a refreshing sense of self-deprecation on the boogielicious "I Didn't Know," where he repeats variations on the title with a wink and a smile. A surprisingly subtle acoustic cover of Bob Dylan's "Drifter's Escape" proves he isn't afraid to take it down a notch, and a sizzling, rootsy take on Johnny Shines's "Dynaflow Blues" shows his proficiency on National Steel slide guitar.

At almost an hour, the album is on the long side, but the playing is consistently inspired and Thorogood never sounds like he's going through the motions--no small feat at this stage of his thirty-plus-year career. With enough diversity to keep it interesting, The Hard Stuff proves the typically dependable Thorogood still has plenty of gas left in the tank to keep his cylinders firing. --Hal Horowitz