8.0/10
People seem to love to point at Fables as the weakest album of the IRS years, but I've got to disagree on this one. Yes I've read the stories about how this was a difficult album from the recording process. From being depressed about being in England and writing an album about the American South to apparently clashing with the producer and whatnot. I do think this contains some of the weakest songs they've recorded to date, particularly "Old Man Kensey" is sort of a clunker. But only sort of. You can hear much worse songs on top 40 radio every day.
Elsewhere you've got some of the strongest songs they've produced to date. "Feeling Gravity's Pull," "Maps and Legends," "Driver 8," "Green Grow the Rushes," and "Wendell Gee" are all awesome songs. Meanwhile "Can't Get There From Here" is probably the weirdest thing they've recorded to date. It's some sort of stab at funk or something that doesn't quite work, but in doing so it doesn't quite work in a great way. The remaining songs aren't shabby but maybe blend into the background a little bit.
The key words here is atmosphere. These songs have atmosphere in spades. Even "Old Man Kensey." It all works to make this cool dark southern gothic feel that's a departure from what they'd done before. They never quite trod these grounds again, which to my ears makes it a definite keeper. The lows on this are probably lower than the lows on Reckoning but I think the highs are much higher.
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