Recovery came about after co-hort Joe Henry was digging through Wainwright's earliest recordings. After listening, the two realized that the quality and depth of the songs Wainwright wrote in the beginning of his career were undiminished and decided to re-record the previously sparse material with musical heavyweights Greg Leisz, Patrick Warren, David Piltch and Jay Bellerose.

"I called the album 'Recovery' for a number of reasons," Wainwright explains. "The title can be taken so many ways. You could look at it as an archeological dig -- like unearthing some dinosaur bones -- since the newest thing was from 1974. But more importantly, it also carries the connotation of getting better, which is something we'd all like to think we're doing."

Changes in attitude are but one aspect of what makes "Recovery" such an intriguing listen. Wainwright -- with the help of Henry -- altered the tenor of the tunes by augmenting their original spare, solo acoustic sound with cleverly-appointed arrangements. The result is a fascinating collection capturing the voice of experience and showcasing a musical sophistication gained over nearly four decades spent traversing music's blue highways.

Recovery follows Loudon's last release, Strange Weirdos: Music From and Inspired by the film Knocked Up, into one of the most unique catalogs in American music history.