Nick Lowe
's best records have always been full of clever lyrics and undeniable
pop
craftsmanship; the exception is
The Impossible Bird
. For most of the 1980s,
Lowe
had been appropriating
country
and
R&B
influences, but
is where he fully incorporates those styles into his songwriting.
doesn't abandon his gift for melody;
"Soulful Wind"
"12-Step Program (To Quit You Babe)"
are as catchy as anything he's ever written. The difference is haunting songs like
"The Beast in Me"
"Withered on the Vine,"
two rich, sad, introspective numbers that
would never have put on previous albums. And that's what makes
his best album since
Labour of Lust
-- it's the most focused, mature, personal music of his career, without a single throwaway. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine