"If I get to California, before I lose my mind/I'll lay my burden on you for one last time." Klein clearly wears his influences openly -- "Another Breakdown" is his best shot at the working class, anthemic rock of the early Seventies -- but what's remarkable is that his style and delivery are firmly in the present day. His hushed, occasionally gravelly voice, revealed to great effect on the disc's best track "Five Good Reasons," brings heft and beauty to songs that make you unsure whether to smile or to cry. The irony of the album's title may perhaps be the world's worst-kept inside joke. Jeff Klein already knows he's good -- now he's ready for the world to figure it out.

ANDREW STRICKMAN
(September 23, 2003)