Throughout his career, Chuck Mead has been best known as a team player—be it as a member of BR549 and The Hillbilly All-Stars or as musical director of the Million Dollar Quartet musical. But even though Journeyman’s Wager is correctly billed as his first solo album, Chuck still sounds like an all-for-the-sake-of-the-song kind of guy here. He delivers the 11 tracks with a minimum of fuss, aided by the sure-handed production of Ray Kennedy. Journeyman’s Wager is a relatively safe bet, but it’s a smart one.