Jimmy Buffett doesn't need to make new albums -- his Parrotheads will stick with him through thick and thin -- so he seizes that opportunity to move slowly. Quite slowly in the case of
Life on the Flip Side, which appeared at the break of summer 2020, a good seven years after
Songs from St. Somewhere, his last collection of original material.
Buffett didn't use these years to figure out ways to expand his purview, but he did work at finding some interesting variations upon his signature beachy vibe. Chalk up some of this variation to his choice to work with a few new collaborators. While his longtime lieutenant
Mac McAnally is here as a co-writer and co-producer alongside
Michael Utley, Irish singer/songwriter
Paul Brady helps write a bunch of the tunes and
Lukas Nelson co-writes "Who Gets to Live Like This." The new blood seems to spur
Buffett to tighten up a bit while also allowing him to dip into some Bakersfield twang on "The Devil I Know" and a vaudevillian shuffle on "Half Drunk." At times,
Life on the Flip Side gets a little too silly for its own good, as on the too goofy by half "Cussin' Island," where he chews out little kids for swearing, but it wouldn't be a
Buffett album without a serious dose of silliness. Here, the silliness is either tempered by a bit of heart -- the singalong "Hey, That's My Wave" is dedicated to the late, great surf guitar giant
Dick Dale -- or it's outweighed by breezy good vibes that seem heartfelt, even grateful. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine