"Welcome to cyberspace/I'm lost in a fog," 64-year-old veteran guitar slinger and part-time Eagle Joe Walsh sings on the amiably cantankerous title track to his first solo record in 20 years. I.T. issues notwithstanding, life's clearly been pretty good to Walsh: He's sober ("One Day at a Time"), loves his family ("Family") and still has good command of his guitar chops (check out "Funk 50," a reinvention of the James Gang's 1970 killer "Funk #49," complete with new, carefree lyrics). And Jeff Lynne's production on several tracks (especially the sweet, stock-taking "Lucky That Way") puts a Tom Petty-ready spin on laid-back California rock and has Walsh sounding less isolated from modern times than he thinks he is.

Listen to 'Analog Man':

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• Photos: Random Notes

“The A Team”

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.