The Dude wouldn't abide this

After his Oscar-winning turn as hard-living singer Bad Blake in 2009’s “Crazy Heart,” the new release of country music by Jeff Bridges, produced by T-Bone Burnett, should come as no surprise.

Just as predictably, the resultant album — Bridges’ second full-length and first in 11 years — isn’t exactly essential. There tends to be something indulgent about a person who has conquered one field tackling another, and Bridges is no exception.

There are several truly excellent cuts of true-blue, ’70s-informed country (“What a Little Bit of Love Can Do,” “Slow Boat,” “The Quest”). But too often the record feels like a bonus disc to the “Crazy Heart” OST featuring its star singing the songs that didn’t quite make the cut.

Given that that’s how several of the songs on the album originated, it’s perhaps best to stick with the original excellent soundtrack. Jeff Bridges is a talented musician, but his second album doesn’t display that nearly as much as the two hours that earned him an Academy Award.