Pleasantly surprised to find this at Best Buy for $12.99.
It's an interesting album to be sure, but no real new ground covered, musically, IMHO. I get the feeling that SW is having a bit of fun hanging out in his usual neighborhood - which is a cool place to be, let there be no doubt. Vocally, he's also in his comfort zone. He has so much more to offer. I'd love to hear him really go for broke and do something unexpected and bold. Got the feeling he was pulling his punches a bit on this one.
Not a big fan of the stereo mix. Heard the CD in the car on the way home from BB and the album didn't make much of an impression, to be honest. SW's vox were also quite buried in the 2-channel mix.
However, when I got home and popped the DVD-A in...the universe opened up. SW's voice was clear and distinct and the intricate layers of sounds unfolded effortlessly. Wonderful mix. Audio quality is once again reference, with one caveat...
...a little disappointed that the Insurgentes hi-res 5.1 mix appears to be *at least* 3-4db louder than the hi-res surround mixes of the FOABP and Lightbulb Sun DVD-As, which I thought were mastered PERFECTLY. Haven't heard the hi-res stereo, so not sure if it's the same. No biggie, but unnecessary dynamic range limiting, especially on the hi-res option.
My comments might come off as a bit luke-warm, but I really did enjoy this release. SW's cruising altitude is about 20,000 feet higher than everyone else