Shades, which continued Cale’s tradition of giving his albums one word titles, was recorded in various studios in Nashville and Los Angeles.

It boasts an impressive list of top shelf session musicians, including Hal Blaine and Carol Kaye of the Wrecking Crew, James Burton, Jim Keltner, Reggie Young, Glen D. Hardin, Ken Buttrey, and Leon Russell, among many others.

There are never any stray notes or decorative filigrees.” Despite the coterie of musicians used on the sessions, Shades has a remarkably cohesive sound that is immediately recognizable as J.J. Cale.

“Pack My Jack” recalls earlier Cale songs like “Travelin’ Light” and “I’m a Gypsy Man” and speaks to the freedom of the highway and how “a ramblin’ man keeps ramblin’ on.” The album’s closing track, “Josie (Steely Dan cover)” is an instrumental that clocks in at nearly five-and-a-half minutes, making it the longest song to appear on one of Cale’s albums.

Shades' cover features a silhouette of a guitar player, presumably Cale, inspired by the design of French cigarettes brand Gitanes.