moved on from ' abortive sessions to record his own solo debut, , an audacious and occasionally brilliant attempt to mount a fully orchestrated, classically minded work within the context of contemporary . As indicated by its title, is a thematically coherent work, one which attempts to embrace the breadth of American popular music; , -- nothing escapes ' radar, and the sheer eclecticism and individualism of his work is remarkable. Opening with authored by (another composer with serious aspirations), the album is both forward-thinking and backward-minded, a collision of bygone musical styles with the progressive sensibilities of the late '60s; while occasionally overambitious and at times insufferably coy, it's nevertheless a one-of-a-kind record, the product of true inspiration. ~ Jason Ankeny