John Hiatt. Easy Street Records, 20 Mercer St., 691-3279. 7 p.m. Free. All ages. John Hiatt has released nearly 20 studio albums since the mid-’70s. He’s seen his songs covered by Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop as well as, um, Paula Abdul. Hiatt’s latest, The Open Road, is a worn-in travel record that’s as much about looking back as plowing ahead. Like 2008’s Same Old Man, it was recorded in Hiatt’s home studio and features vocals from his daughter on one song. Most prominently, though, an electric backing trio gives the songs a bluesy kick, from the feisty “Go Down Swingin'” to the lust-inspired escape of “Haulin’.” And yet fans will be pleased to learn that Hiatt’s throaty, garbled voice still sounds like he’s singing through steel wool. He’ll likely slip black into acoustic mode to sample songs from The Open Road for this Easy Street in-store, at which you can enter to win a guitar signed by the man himself. DOUG WALLEN