There's no reason to miss 'em, since there's a cornet (which is kind of a trumpet) on the last cut, and drums on most of the others. But the title track, "I Will Miss the Trumpets and the Drums" sets the melancholy tone of most of the second album by Steve Dawson (of Chicago band Dolly Varden). "You are cruel / You are cold / You are only getting worse as you grow old." Now that's not exactly a love song.

Actually, the funny thing about this song is it's more about the future than it is about the past, more about the possibility than the loss, more about taking action than suffering. And it's actually about as jaunty a number as Dawson offers this go-round, with a clippity-clop, pseudo-Bakersfield country rhythm wedded to jazzy chord changes and featuring a nifty clarinet solo.

The more one tries to pin Dawson down, the slipperier his music gets. Whether with Dolly Varden, the band he's co-led with his wife Diane Christiansen for 15 years now, or on his own, Steve Dawson doesn't fit in any single genre. From alt-country to folk rock, from classic pop to Muscle Shoals soul, Dawson draws influences into the service of his impeccably formed melodies and his intriguing, bittersweet lyrics.

The two best songs here show off more of the soul he displayed on 2005's Sweet Is the Anchor . "Today She Found the Way (To Break My Heart)" could have been a smash for Percy Sledge as a follow-up to "When a Man Loves a Woman," with its tale of a man who opened himself up to love only to flail helplessly as his beloved walks away for no obvious reason. Dawson plays all the instruments himself, and his electric piano, organ, soulful guitar licks, and steady bass and drums push his vocals to a fever pitch of pain and confusion and yearning.

"Goodbye" moves more in the Hi Records direction, with a nod to Al Green. This time Dawson is in control, vowing to be ready if his love comes back, but not crying about it. The song is a spitfire take, with driving drums and churning bass, and swirling strings and a vibraphone to match, as Dawson refuses to let the pain sink in. Instead, he makes sure the woman knows how wrong she is, and we root him on as he snarls, "Someday you'll realize I'm the one who's always been on your side / Til then, it's goodbye."

There are delicious pop gems ("Obsidian," "A Conversation With No One") and beautiful acoustic folky numbers ("Long Overdue" and "It's Not What You Think"), as well. All in all, Dawson delivers another strong record in a career that deserves more attention than it's so far received.

And, just as a heads up, Steve Dawson will be appearing in St. Louis on April 29 and 30 at Off Broadway, both for a solo show, and as part of the James Brown tribute and benefit for KDHX.

Written by Steve Pick (host of Sound Salvation, every Friday 7-10 a.m. Central on 88.1 KDHX