Street corner prophet and good time buddy, Todd Snider, has been championing the overlooked and underappreciated for over fifteen years. This year he's back with The Excitement Plan, an album the combines social commentary, gypsy recession recovery plan and soul-folk in to one unified masterpiece. Self-awareness never sounded so good as Todd and crack sidemen Jim Keltner and Greg Liesz team up with Grammy-winning producer Don Was (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones) for an album that exemplifies Snider's by-your-wits lifestyle and once-an-age lyricism.

The Excitement Plan ranges from the boozy tonk of Loretta Lynn duet Don't Tempt Me to the earnest soul searching of Greencastle Blues. The brilliant Money, Compliments, Publicity (Song Number Ten) seems to sum up Snider in a song - gracious and grounded, yet longing to write a song or two that would warrant getting too big for his britches. With The Excitement Plan, Snider may have done just that.