Long Road out of Eden - THE EAGLES

The first Eagles album since 1979 rolls forth with the one-two punch of the harmony-laden "No More Walks in the Wood" and the familiar-sounding country rock of "How Long," a J.D. Souther song from the early '70s that could have just as easily been the follow-up to "Take It Easy." The rest is more vintage Eagles, cutting the usual wide stylistic swath from rockers ("Fast Company," Joe Walsh's Steely Dan-flavored "Last Good Time in Town"), country-flavored midtempos ("Do Something," "You Are Not Alone"), heart-rending ballads ("What Do I Do With My Heart," "I Love to Watch a Woman Dance"), funk ("Fast Company," "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture"), brow-furrowing introspection ("Waiting in the Weeds," "You Are Not Alone") and pointed socio-political commentaries ("Business As Usual," the epic 10-minute title track). It's all a testament to the durable Eagles footprint on the pop landscape.—Gary Graff