While not as startlingly original as Sparrow's Point, Shindell's second CD is still far better than the work of his many contemporaries. His political songs, "Arrowhead" and "Fishing," make their points as affecting stories well told rather than by posturing. Never one to shy away from difficult subjects, the "Ballad of Mary Magdalene" is a masterful casting of one of religion's pivotal relationships; that by implication says a great deal about the confused state of human affairs. The playing and singing are all first-rate.