Buffet Hotel

At least one Jimmy Buffett-dedicated website calls Buffet Hotel his forty-first album. In any case, Buffett has been making music since the ‘60s and has been a star since the early ‘70s, consistently bringing fans his vacation on wheels with a laid-back groove, an easy smile and tunes that often take a light-hearted approach to poignant matters. His novelist’s eye for detail, matched with his modest musicianship and ear for excellent backing musicians, have helped keep his music both easily accessible and well-played. The Coral Reefer Band continues to back him here and the smooth, country-tinged atmosphere gives Buffett plenty of room to tell his tales. Ghosts of Gordon Lightfoot are sent south to haunt the easeful swing of “Beautiful Swimmers.” Buffett’s eternal vacation dreams on the Stones-like chunk of  “Summerzcool,” and the classic Buffett of Jesse Winchester’s “Rhumba Man” go well alongside the chatty (hip-hop?) “Turn Up the Heat and Chill the Rosé” and the topically charged  “A Lot to Drink About.” Buffett’s the professional vacationer. He works overtime while sounding like he’s taking it easy.