Billy Strings, “Highway Prayers.”

Virtuosic bluegrass musician Billy Strings keeps up his hot streak on Highway Prayers, the singer-songwriter’s fourth album. The Michigan native is known for his Hendrix-like acumen on both banjo and guitar, but on the record, he delivers as an adept songwriter as well.

Highway Prayers is weighty; 20 songs without interludes or other filler. It’s ambitious. What’s evident from the opening notes of opener “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song” is the authenticity of William Apostol’s sound in just about every aspect. Pitch-perfect harmonies launch the record before the rest of the band enters. The subtle bounce of the bass pushes the song as the fiddle and array of acoustic instruments round it out.

He takes to the banjo for “In the Clear,” a rousing country romp flush with harmony.

“I’ve had days as black as nighttime and nights that last for years,” he sings.

What’s even more impressive is Billy Strings’ ability to disperse his talents throughout the record. The songs always come first, and he stays in the pocket with his own playing. There are moments where the playing move to the front seat, such as stirring instrumental track “Escanaba.”

Apostol slows things down on “Gild the Lily,” which has a laidback Grateful Dead vibe to it, especially in the vocal harmonies. “Seven Weeks in the Country” takes on a more traditional tone, with a throwback aesthetic that spans back generations prior, while “Stratosphere Blues” is a contemporary ballad. The pace picks right back up on the rollicking bluegrass stomper “Cabin Song.”

“Take me back to the woods where she left me/ Let me wander the hills all alone,” Apostol sings.

“Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4AM)” takes on a slightly more mainstream tone before making way for another blistering jam session, “Malfunction Junction.” The instrumental songs are spaced out, and each has a unique personality and aesthetic.

The narrative on “Catch and Release” is about getting pulled over by a state trooper with canabis in the car. Billy Strings isn’t so much singing as he’s telling a story.

The second half of Highway Prayers leans into into bluegrass roots on tracks like “Be Your Man” and “Gone a Long Time,” though “It Ain’t Before” employees wah-wah effect on the banjo.

Apostol brings it back down with the compelling rise and fall of ballad “My Alice,” before offering up another layered jam, “Seney Stretch.” Stone anthem “MORBUD4ME” employs a bong as an instrument. Billy Strings takes on a more—we’ll call it mellow or subdued—tone in his voice.

Luckily, we soon get to the lively “Leadfoot” and the rhythmic sway of “Happy Hollow.” Nearing the end of the record, “The Beginning of the End” takes on a more conversational tone. Apostle talks to listeners, like he might at a concert, announcing his time is drawing to a close.

“It’s the end of the record, even though I hate to go,” he sings.

The album concludes with vocal track “Richard Petty,” an ode to “getting off my ass” and getting things done, something Billy Strings most certainly achieved with Highway Prayers.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.