In Brief

The group’s fifth album is a breathtakingly rich musical gumbo of mainstream rock, progressive country, Latin pop and jazzy blues. But pedestrian lyrics too often put a splat of catsup in the middle of it all. A band this versatile should be as rewarding to the brain as to the ears. The Mavericks headline the House of Blues on Friday.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).