Frequent touring partners Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt each draw from similar country wells in their songwriting. Hiatt’s 2014 album Terms of My Surrender has a guitarist at the top of his game, etching on-the-run narratives onto deft pickin’ and thunderous percussion work. He’s the rare songwriter who’s aged with an edge and takes that arc of life experience deep into his lyrical mindset. The same can be said about Lovett, who kicked around decades of understatedly bitchin’ country music to land yet another dynamite cut with 2012’s Release Me. He played the Hard Rock Rocksino last year, bringing along his energetic band and laying down a sterling show for a packed house. Together, these guys are a real force. (Sandy)