Over the course of a still-budding career that’s yet to mark its first decade, Ryan Bingham’s enjoyed a steady ascent in critical acclaim, and rightfully so. This, his fifth album, not only affirms Bingham’s prolific prowess but also a songwriting savvy that’s well beyond his 30s. Bingham’s coarse, cigarette-scarred vocals contribute to that world-weary view, suggesting a similarity to another former young buck, Steve Forbert. Even so, Bingham’s songs possess a tarnished quality of their own, making such selections as “Nobody Knows My Trouble,” “Broken Heart Tattoos” and the title track studies in plaintive meditation. Happily though, Bingham’s not one of those downtrodden troubadours wholly bereft of optimism; the celebratory strains of “Radio” (“My radio makes me want to just lose my head”) and “Adventures of You and Me” testify to his steadfast determination. It’s that unbridled intent that makes Fear and Saturday Night such an inspired contradiction.