had a hit, a Grammy, and critical success, yet he still didn't have a genuine blockbuster to his name when it came time to finally deliver a full-fledged follow-up to , so he decided it was time to make that unabashed, mainstream album. Hiring producer as a collaborator, made a streamlined, slightly domesticated, unashamed set of mature , with a slight twist. This is an album, after all, that begins by pining for the reckless days of youth, then segues into a snapshot of suburban disconnectedness before winding through a salute to and covers of old tunes ( and respectively), druggie humor ( ), and surging ( ). There are certainly hints of the of old, particularly in his fondness for melodicism -- as well as his impish wit -- yet he hadn't made a record as cohesive as this since his first time out, nor had he ever made something as shiny and appealing as this. It may be more accessible than before, yet it's anchored by his mischievous humor and wonderful idiosyncrasies. Chances are that those lured in by the grandly melodramatic will not be prepared for either the subtle charms of or the off-kilter sensibility that makes even his breeziest slightly strange. In short, it's a near-perfect summary of everything could do; he could be craftier and stranger, but never did he achieve the perfect balance as he did here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine