“King For a Day,” written by Mr. East with Chris and Morgane Stapleton, is a rollicking history lesson, and “Surrender” is a nod to the exuberant stomp of Ike and Tina Turner. Mr. East extends his approach even to covers, like his muscular soul update of the bluesman Ted Hawkins’s “Sorry You’re Sick,” which is punctuated with bright horns.

Executing at this level requires not just a vocalist who’s dutifully studied, but also a team of equally faithful students. “Encore” is produced by Dave Cobb, who has made tactile, glossed revivalism his stock in trade in recent years; it is performed by an exceptionally sharp band that is unshy and enthused.

The downside of this approach — at least for a singer — is that at times the music is so deeply reverent that it becomes the main character, the gasoline for the song’s emotional narrative, rendering the lyrics, and even the singing, immaterial. Such is the case on “House Is a Building,” which is a conversation between downcast piano and horns that Mr. East can’t penetrate, and on his sweet but level cover of Willie Nelson’s “Somebody Pick Up My Pieces.”

On these songs, Mr. East cedes his authority perhaps a bit too much, but they are the outliers. It’s worth noting, though, that the most jolting song here is the one least preoccupied with yesteryear. “Cabinet Door” closes the album, and does so under dark clouds. It’s a scorched song about loss, and Mr. East foregoes his shaky yelp for a tone that’s lush but hollow, pregnant with dread.