Album songs:
Album Intro:
If ever a group's moniker were wrapped in florid irony, surely it's this bright, buoyant summit meeting of contemporary popmeisters Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge. Backed by an all-star studio ensemble that includes Jim Keltner, Greg Leisz, Brendan O'Brien, and Roy Bittan, the three nominally insulated musicians don't so much claim the legacy of Crosby, Stills & Nash on the harmonic riches of 'Think it Over' and glorious 'Now I Know' as find a musical common ground that can't help but echo history in its folk-rooted vocal glories (although it's hard to imagine the baby-boom icons wrapping themselves around the chunky funk of the title track here or the pointed impressionistic allegory of 'Dragonfly.') Yet The Thorns forges an ego-sublimating higher ground that's anything but nostalgic. Fans of the three musicians may recognize their various sensibilities at work throughout, but it's a rewarding collaboration that virtually defies deconstruction. Don't be misled by the name--this is a beautiful, musically fragrant bouquet. --Jerry McCulley
1. Runaway Feeling 2. I Can't Remember 3. Blue 4. Think It Over 5. Thorns 6. No Blue Sky 7. Now I Know 8. Dragonfly 9. Long, Sweet Summer Night 10. I Told You 11. Such A Shame 12. I Set The World On Fire 13. Among The Living
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