CD review: The Mavericks “In Time”

Formed in 1989 in Miami, Fla., the progressive, polyrhythmic country/rock band earned widespread acclaim and notched hits in the 1990s with “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” “Here Comes the Rain” and “Dance the Night Away.” On the Grammy-winning group's seventh full-length album, Cuban-American singer-songwriter Raul Malo's voice is just as rich and dramatic as ever, and his musical cohorts — multi-instrumentalist Robert Reynolds, drummer Paul Deakin, guitarist Eddie Perez and keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden — are so talented and self-assured that you get the sense they could easily play anything from tangos to polkas.

And that's just what they do on “In Time,” an album that's so freewheeling and eclectic that you can hardly wait to hear what's coming next with each of its 14 tracks. From the opening horn blasts of the bouncy “Back in Your Arms Again,” it's clear The Mavericks intend to mix up divergent sonic with the reckless energy of mad scientists. Mariachi trumpets, surf guitars and an insistent squeezebox keep “All Over Again” zipping along at a dizzying clip, while Caribbean, polka and old-school country influences ricochet cheerfully on “Dance in the Moonlight.”