Ry Cooder: Election Special

IN A RECORDING career that stretches back more than four decades, Ry Cooder has never before made an album as immediate as Election Special. And yet, in numerous ways, this politically charged song cycle is right in the sweet spot of the LA-based master guitarist, musical archaeologist, late-blooming songwriter and lifelong iconoclast. Following an 18-year hiatus from solo projects, during which time he focused on film music, the Buena Vista Social Club and one-off collaborations, Cooder reemerged as inspired as ever with his "Southern California trilogy": 2005's Chavez Ravine, 2007's My Name Is Buddy and 2008's I, Flathead.