Plan B

Huey Lewis and the News may have taken 10 years off between albums, but after listening to the ironically titled Plan B, it's like the Little Bar Band That Could never really left. Disarming frontman Huey Lewis is still turning out the same affable, effortless, pasteurized pop that he did when the band dominated the charts in the '80s, and his crack band plays with precision. The only difference is that instead of pining for a new drug, regaling listeners with those wry little cultural snapshots like "Hip to Be Square," or complaining about "Working for a Living," this collection of 10 original tunes (and a cover of Nick Lowe's "When I Write the Book") is an examination of relationships. Not the redeeming "Power of Love" that Lewis extolled in 1982, but the self-conscious ebb and flow of a long romance as it unravels. Songs like the discouraging "Let Her Go and Start Over" and the quirky "My Other Woman" throw a dim light on ardor and attachment. Even the album's standout track, "I'm Not in Love Yet" (a duet with the wondrously gritty-voiced Wynonna Judd) finds both parties hedging their bets. But you shouldn't. This is a strong collection of songs that elevates the band from being just another '80s retread, and also proves that Plan A is still working fine. --Jaan Uhelszki