John Oates, “Reunion.”

As the alphabetically subverted second half of ’80s pop duo Hall & Oates, John Oates played guitar and sang backup for his taller, blonder songwriting partner Daryl Hall on hits like “Maneater” and “She’s Gone.” Seen as one of music’s legendary wing-men, Oates is emerging from the shadows with his first solo album since 2018’s Arkansas. Like his last album, Reunion is a sedate country music album that moves from delicate acoustic ballads to twangy roadstop romanticism.

Only a couple of the album’s songs, “Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee” and the title track, feature full backing bands, including drumming. The vast majority of the material was obviously written on the acoustic guitar and features all manner of strings and studio ear candy to sweeten the minimalist tunes.

“All I Ask Of You” features delicate acoustic guitar playing in the vein of John Fahey or Leo Kottke as Oates sings with lilting voice. Mandolin and pedal steel guitar sweeten the sound. “Gonna take a lot of love to let me go/ Keep you hanging on my hand until it’s time/ This is all I’ll ask of you,” Oates sings. “All I Am,” stakes out similar musical territory.

“This Field is Mine” is a somber affair with mandolin and acoustic guitar accompanying the sad tale of a family destroyed by the loss of their land. “There was a time we walked the Indiana trail/ We cut a road to roll a wagon wheel,” he sings. “They lay the railroad line through the south/ They built the highway and we lost the town.”

One album highlight is Oates’ cover of John Prine’s “Long Monday.” Prine died of COVID in 2020, but the strength of his stripped-down sentimentalism lives on. “You and me/ Sittin’ in the back my memory/ Like a honey bee/ Buzzin’ ’round a glass of sweet Chablis,” Oates sings over a sea of acoustic guitars and shakers.

The album ends with three lives tracks recorded in various locations. “Reunion (Coffee House Version)” is a stripped-down version of the album’s opener, which Oates wrote with rock and roll royalty, A.J. Croce, son of legendary folk singer Jim Croce. “Anytime (Live from D’Addario Sessions)” shows off Oates’ serious acoustic guitar chops with a bluegrass stomp.

Oates is joined by an all-star roster of musicians on Reunion, including some of Nashville’s greatest session players like guitarists Guthrie Trapp and Tom Bukovac, pedal steel player Russ Pahla and bassist Steve Mackey. There’s a nice symmetry to a guy who stood at the edge of the spotlight for much of his career, now being backed by a who’s who of session players, many of whom know the back of the stage and the shadow of the spotlight, too. Together, the group’s country music celebrates land, love and laconic imagery.