This is much more of a pop rock album than Mike's earlier material and I miss the dark acoustic instrumentals that originally made me fall in love with his music. At the same time, this album has some amazing material of its own. Bring me down is a funky blues with a nice hard kick to it. Chemical Therapy is a beautifully somber piece about a friend with cancer. Mystical Rose blows me away as a rhythmic tour de force. The guitar, bass, drums, and cello each play their own role in driving the song and the African rhythm is beyond intense. My favorite track, however, is 3:59 AM, an instrumental reflection on death and the departed. The guitar solo is unreal, meditative and restrained, building tension until it explodes at the last possible moment. It leads beautifully into Deliver Me, a solo return to his roots.
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There are many vibrantly wonderful things about this CD: The great cello parts, the obvious knowledge of music and musicality, those beautiful backup vocals, and the list goes on!  But, the best thing about this CD is that everything is real.  There are no facades in the music, so the listener can easily connect with what is being expressed.  And, you can tell that the vocalist truly means what he is singing.  It is a great CD to listen to when happy, sad or just hanging out.  That's why it deserves all 5 stars.
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