There's a reason begins with the epic Shortly after , ditched California -- and, by implication, sensitive Californian from sensitive singer/songwriters -- for his hometown of New York. was a celebration of his move, a repudiation of his past, a fanfare for a new beginning, which is exactly what was. He still was a singer/songwriter -- indeed, was his best to date, possibly his best ever -- but he decided to run with his musical talents, turning the record into a whirlwind tour of styles, from to . There's little question that the cinematic sprawl of had an effect on , since it has a similar widescreen feel, even if it clocks in at only eight songs. The key to the record's success is variety, the way the album whips from the bouncy, to the saloon song ; the way the bitterly cynical gives way to the beautiful and the surrealistic apocalyptic fantasy No matter how much stylistic ground covers, he's kept on track by his backing group. He fought to have his touring band support him on , going to the lengths of firing his original producer, and it was clearly the right move, since they lend the album a cohesive feel. may not have been a hit, but it remains one of his most accomplished and satisfying records, clearly paving the way to his twin peaks of the late '70s, and . ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine