Philadelphia’s Ben Arnold has been compared to both Graham Parker and Van Morrison, and rightly so. His voice conveys a gentle, soulful growl; his lyrics are witty but not cloying; and his music draws on rock, folk, R&B and all genres in between. Calico, his finest effort yet, weaves these influences together more seamlessly than ever before. “Pickin’ the Lock” and “Deeper Truth” revel in straight-up, blue-eyed soul—the former riding a Stax-style horn chart and the latter digging deep into a Muscle Shoals groove. “Zig Zag” is pure ear candy topped off by a big ’70s bubblegum chorus that perfectly matches the “get over it” message of the lyrics. But Arnold’s ears aren’t solely attuned to music’s past. In “Blacklight” he rhymes “och de leiber” with “aqua livre” before breakbeat drum loops kick in, as if to drive home the song’s themes of emotional and physical release. His outstanding rhythm section—bassist Scott Bricklin and drummer Matt Muir—distinguishes Arnold’s work from other singer/songwriters mining similar territory. Muir’s playing is delightfully unpredictable, the kind of drummer that catches your ear without ever distracting from the song.