Late-night tv’s foremost blues guitarist hits the ground running on his current offering, dropping a trifecta of formidable fretwork, sturdy vocals and lyrical hooks dosed with punch and, when called for, serious sting. The longtime Conan O’Brien house bandleader’s leadoff track here, “Blues In The 21^st”, paints a bleak but compelling scene from the early 2020’s and “Ain’t Nothin’s Gonna Be Alright” is an equally right-between-the-eyes, if a more standard sort of blues lament.  Stealing the show vocally is Mr. V’s delivery on the ballad “Fool’s Gold”.  Joe Bonnamassa and John Sebastian guest on a not-to-be-missed release.