John Cale On World Cafe

Legendary songwriter and producer John Cale is back with Shifty Adventures in Nookie World, his 15th solo album and first since 2005. Cale shape-shifts often throughout the record, channeling a discotheque in the Danger Mouse-produced "I Wanna Talk 2 U," picking an acoustic guitar throughout "Living With You" and venturing into folklore in "Sandman (Flying Dutchman)." Post-punk, hip-hop and everything in between comes into play at one point or another.

This versatility is natural coming from Cale, who has explored dozens of genres over the course of his long career. The Welsh composer and multi-instrumentalist co-founded The Velvet Underground in 1965 with Lou Reed, collaborated with Brian Eno and Terry Riley, produced landmark albums by The Stooges, The Modern Lovers and Patti Smith, was a protégé of classical composer Aaron Copland, and is now an officer of the Order of the British Empire. After a hiatus, Cale began writing songs on an Akai electronic drum, resulting in the heavily electronic Shifty Adventures in Nookie World. On this installment of World Cafe, Cale performs tracks from the new album and discusses the record with host David Dye.