A brief run-down on the 4 albums above:
The Way It Is (1986) Not one duff or filler track on this album. OK so the title track has been played to death on FM radio but other stand out tracks include Mandolin Rain, The River Runs Low and Every Little Kiss. A killer album and one that announced his intention to write and produce good music.
Scenes From The Southside (1988) Like its predecessor a monster album, with songs such as Look Out Any Window, The Valley Road, Jacob's Ladder and Till The Dreaming's Done. Some people might argue that it is a bit too much like The Way It Is but he'd hit a rich vein of songwriting so why not continue.
A Night On The Town (1990) Now with this album I can hear things starting, ever so slightly, to fall apart. An album full of great music with a couple of "fillers" mixed in with killer tracks such as Carry The Water, Fire On The Cross and the magnificent Lost Soul where he duets with Shawn Colvin.
Western Skyline (date unknown) Recorded initially by the BBC at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, this bootleg also contains some extra tracks taken from The King Buiscuit Hour and Westwood One live recordings. I was at one of two shows he played at the Odeon and can vouch that not only were they great concerts but great entertainment as well. During the first half of the show I saw, his electric keyboards went out of tune and while a roadie/technician fixed the problem he performed an impromptu song using his accordian and wise cracking with the audience.
So, for the benefit of everybody, that's my take on those albums and I'd be interested to know other people's opinion of the band. I'll only add that certainly with the first two albums, I never tire of playing them and they seem fresh today as they did when I first bought them, over 20 years ago.