Mike Maimone

If searching for a shortcut portmanteau to encompass Nashville treasure and impeccable thirst trapper Mike Maimone, you could do worse than “Dr. John Grant,” melding the latter’s erudite social X-rays and queer queries with the former’s boisterous barroom piano promenades. But even amid the joyful mood roulette of Mookie’s Big Gay Mixtape, you get a feel for the emotional undertow that lurks just beyond some of the pleasant party vibes (“Unfollow” may be the catchiest dance-floor rendezvous about untangling social media with an ex) and the evening of scales (a gloriously menacing take on “Before He Cheats”). After the unexpected death of Maimone’s husband just before Mookie’s release, the ballads’ impact is harder, the party jams and interludes feel like safety valves, and a wrenching take on Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” hits like Closing Time-era Tom Waits. JASON SHAWHAN, Nashville Scene