This is not a John Anderson comeback album -- let's get that out of the way right up front. Need persuading? Look up his discography, which stretches from the early eighties past the turn of the century with few real breaks. Better yet, listen to some of it and realize that if there's any justice at all, history will hold John Anderson in the esteem reserved solely for the most gifted, long tenured and consistent artists ever to sing a country song. But that discussion is for another day.

Instead, take a copy of Easy Money and slip it in the stereo. Right here, right now, this is John Anderson. A voice so vibrant and alive, it ranks as one of the top instruments in contemporary music. Any genre. Period. Songwriting that honors country's greatest traditions and pushes its furthermost boundaries. A sound fresh enough to prod speakers to the limits of their abilities.

This is no history lesson.

Music lesson, on the other hand, probably fits. It started at a show in Sanford, Florida sometime in 1996. John Anderson was headlining and a new country band called Lonestar was booked as the opening act. The group's bass player -- a 22-year-old pup named John Rich -- knocked on Anderson's tour bus door.

"My fiddle player, Joe Spivey, answered and sees this fella who wants to come up and meet me," Anderson recalls. "Joe says, 'Well sing me one of his songs.' So ole John cut down on 'Chicken Truck' and I remember saying something to the effect of, 'He knows it better than I do, send him up!'"

Fast forward nine years and that admirer is now half of superduo Big & Rich, not to mention one of Nashville's hottest songwriters. Anderson reconnects with him through producer Paul Worley, and the two book a songwriting session.

"I was really impressed with his energy and with his knowledge of country music as well as many other kinds of music," Anderson says. "His intensity level was refreshing. You could tell he was really enjoying not only the success but the actual music -- the art itself."