You expected unflinching end-of-life albums from Johnny Cash, but not so much from Glen Campbell, who perfected the lush “countrypolitan” sound in the 1960s. His intended final album — completed last year, before he went public about his Alzheimer’s — is as beautifully produced as his ’60s hits, and he still sings remarkably well. Yet the subtext of Ghost on the Canvas is impossible to miss when he declares, in the opening song, “Some days, I’m so confused, Lord.” Meanwhile, instrumental bits of his greatest hits turn up throughout like half-remembered dreams. The most heartbreaking track (and the set’s most surprising choice) is the one that was supposed to be optimistic: Guided by Voices’ “Hold on Hope,” whose chorus — “It’s the last thing that’s holding me” — takes on new depth in this context. The whole album isn’t quite that poignant . . . but yeah, most of it is, including a fine pair of Paul Westerberg songs and a mood-lightener from Teddy Thompson. The long, all-star guitar outro on “There’s No Me . . . Without You” gives the Rhinestone Cowboy a noble ride off into the sunset.
