Moving forward a couple years from the psychedelic fixations of his debut, finds in the early '70s, trying to graft and influences to his obsessions. This time around, he synthesizes his influences better; it's essentially a seamless record, with all of its classic homages so carefully produced that it sounds as if it could have been released in 1972. 's songcraft has gotten better as well, with the swirling of and the rampaging -meets- standing out as instantly addictive singles. Still, some of the joy that informed has worn off, largely because it's more polished and studied than its predecessor. That, however, doesn't prevent from being another thoroughly enjoyable guilty pleasure -- its sweet and fuzzy are slyly seductive. Ironically for such an inviting record, is 's divorce album, yet it never quite conveys any true pain or emotion, since he puts sound over substance. Essentially, the lyrics are afterthoughts, but with a record as immaculately produced and sonically pleasurable as , it doesn't really matter that it's talking loud and saying nothing, because it sounds good while it's talking. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine