SPRING ALBUM ROUNDUP

The Hall of Famer is one of the few over-40 country singers who still has a major-label record deal, but maybe Jones’ work here will remind decision-makers that careers needn’t screech to a halt at the first gray hair. Jones opens with “Wild Irish Rose,” a magnificently moving tale of a forgotten war vet that’s a perfect match of subject, writing and delivery. The album’s closer, “I Can Live Forever,” is a powerful country gospel declaration of faith.

Among the standouts in between is the title track, an all-star affair featuring Jones, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and others that on paper sounds like yet another self-congratulatory bore, but which surprisingly lives up to its billing. Jones’ singing is solid throughout, although the album’s peaks--the ballads, mostly--are offset by some of the upbeat trifles he seems so fond of. But with the right song, indeed it doesn’t get any better than this.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).

Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: http://pyxis.nohib.com./soundclips