Time (Deluxe Version)

After spending a decade working his way through the Great American Songbook, Rod Stewart turned to writing his memoir and found that songs were coming to his pen as well. With the help of cowriters (longtime collaborators Jim Cregan and Kevin Savigar, plus Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5), Stewart returns to midtempo mainstream rock 'n' roll with dashes of acoustic folk and '80s pop tucked inside its smooth, shiny veneers. Fact is, Rod Stewart was once considered the great rock 'n' roll voice until he veered toward pop music. Here, Stewart looks back over his career with a sentimentality that rings currently true. He's pledging his love to his third wife, whom he married in 2007 ("She Makes Me Happy," "Can't Stop Me Now," "Finest Woman," "Pure Love"), all with a variety of approaches. "Finest Woman" comes closest to his early-'70s bark. "Beautiful Morning" and "Live the Life" are ebullient. "Brighton Beach" is a trip through the past that lets Stewart pull out all the vocal stops. The deluxe version adds three bonus tracks, including the old folk-blues song "Corrina Corrina."