Saying has built a career out of following his muse wherever it may lead is a dramatic understatement. But even by his own free-spirited standards, 's work in the 21st century has been wildly idiosyncratic, with the venerable songwriter frequently using his albums as broadsides for his causes of the moment and diving into his music headfirst with little concern about fidelity or neatness. Even by these standards, 's soundtrack to the film is very much a mixed bag, though this time he alone can't be held entirely responsible. was directed by actress and activist (who is also 's significant other), and it's hard to tell how much of the disjointed nature of the album can be chalked up to the requirements of 's film and how much is just being . Set in a future when men and women live as separate tribes in a manner that recalls the Old West, much of sounds like it was recorded around a campfire, with and the members of (the band led by 's sons and , who backed on his albums ) tackling 's "Baby What You Want Me to Do?," 's "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," and ' "Happy Together" like ancient folk standards. At some point, the characters apparently rediscover electricity, with and the band tearing into grand, noisy versions of "Cowgirl in the Sand" (here billed as "Cowgirl Jam") and "Running to the Silver Eagle" that demonstrate can channel with genuine authority. "Show Me" and "Tumbleweed" sound somewhat better here than they did on (respectively) , and there's a nice solo version of "Pocahontas" with at the pump organ. But the six "Paradox Passage" tracks are guitar meanderings that make 's soundtrack seem like a lost masterwork, and ultimately the aimless leaps from one sound to another prevent this music from truly coming together as an album. As odd albums go, doesn't hold a candle to or , but this could have been trimmed down to an EP and it would have worked better. Fans will want to give it a listen, but they might not pull it off the shelf again for a while. ~ Mark Deming