A Classic Album

Review Score: (10/10)
This album equals and often exceeds Mr Sweet's previous album "Girlfriend". You have an artist who is at his peak, seemingly capable of continuing many more songs if there were only more room on the disc. It is at these rare moments in music that you are rewarded to listen. Rougher and vagobond charm existlike finding a great fishing spot, when you are having luck, you stay there, and maybe remember the color of the lure you used. This one is good because it has an album rock feel to it and it seems that the tracks are mostly live cuts. MSweet is not over-anlyzing here because the music is working fine. Many reviewers agreeable say that the album is dark, but to me it does not leave that impression on you because Matthew Sweet is not asking you to go there and he also offers glimpses of light courtesy of the beautifully crafted songs and playing. The music just compells you to listen....and read the track notes for that matter. So many respectable people play on this record! Robert Quine (Lou Reed, Voidoids), Richard Lloyd (Television), Greg Liesz (lap steel extraordinaire), Nicky Hopkins (Rolling Stones), Rick Menck (Velvet Crush), Byron Berline (Flying Burrito Brothers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Graham Parker), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & the Voidoids), Fred Maher (Lloyd Cole, voidoids, Lou Reid), Jody Stephens (Big Star), Ron Pangborn, Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), Richar dashut (Fleetwood Mac Producer). Without risk of name dorpping, all of them contibuted remarkably not becaue it was an attempt to cash in, they fund a good fishing spot. I'm sure because of mutual respect and not for other reasons. They just don't make them like this anymore. It is like Exile on Mainstreet. Maybee as good or better. Subjective, but good enough to make an argument either way. If aythingm can be said about the darkess of thr lbum, it is preovn that that the artist came over it. Afterall humans havecompassion, add resent their wrongthoughtm, because deep in side we know truth.

More Reviews:

• My favorite.
• The Beautiful Truth
• what can I say that hasn't already been said
• Doesn't have Girlfriend's pop hits, but its more solid
• Worth every penny!
• A-plus work from Power Pop's top student
• the way it should be
• Power Pop - Ramshackle, Pretty and Potent
• Unbelievable Piece of Work
• Matthew Sweet's first masterpiece
• This is the one to get
• one of THE overlooked masterpieces of the nineties
• What I didn't want to aadmit....
• Who needs Girlfriend now?
• Sweet's finest, but not for beginners
• Am I Missing Something?
• An artistic triumph
• uneven followup to "Girlfriend"
• Aren't We the Cranky One?
• A Great and Greatly Underappreciated Album
• Altered Beast---Unnappreciated Genius
• Critical Success, Commercial Failure...Help Right the Wrong
• may be one of the 10 best albums of the decade.