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Consummate singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw returns from a five-year studio hiatus to release his best album. The self-produced Miracle of Science finds Crenshaw playing a wide variety of instruments, with much of the music made in his home studio. No wonder then that unlike his last few releases (which came across as bloated and heavy-handed) Miracle has an unfettered, intimate feel. From the instantly catchy relationship song "What Do You Dream Of?" to the hillbilly cover "Who Stole That Train" (a hit for country legend Ray Price), Crenshaw has never sounded so focused, so relaxed, so confident. On the poignant "Laughter" he fuses Western twang with a bluesy bass line in a heart-wrenching tale of love and loss. "Twenty-Five Forty One" takes Grant Hart's post-Hüsker Dü tune into new-traditionalist territory, with help from the no-nonsense drumming of Les James Baxter (Los Straitjackets) and a kick-ass solo by Crenshaw on electric guitar. Bill Lloyd (of Foster and Lloyd) contributes brilliant touches of mandolin, Rickenbacker, on acoustic guitar, providing a shimmering backdrop for Crenshaw's winsome vocals. The only miracle here is that nobody's gotten around to giving this man the tribute CD he richly deserves. **** Marshall Crenshaw
MIRACLE OF SCIENCE
(Razor & Tie)
-- David Gérard
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