Only rarely do we hear the sound of electric guitars. This CD is clearly of that Austin folk-territory sound. Cleaves has got it. He can sing like he's never done anything else, as if he's been here since the beginning of the world. The problem is the inconsistency of his material.
Great songs melt with mediocre ones.
His best songs are great short stories. In others, it seems that Cleaves just doesn't care for his characters. It makes me wonder that if maybe he had waited and held onto his best material, he might have come out with a great album. The first two songs are quite convincing, especially the second one, One Good Year . But grace ain't so easily found.