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Magna Carta's comeback album, after a split that left the band inactive for much of the previous year, is more than a little confusing, and shows signs of a band still working through a transition -- it's just difficult to say in which direction. It rocks a bit harder than their previous releases at the outset, in the autobiographical title track that opens the album. Then it switches gears to the music that most Magna Carta fans probably felt they were paying for, "Took a Long Time" and "Oh My Dear Rose," which rely more on acoustic guitar textures and art-rock flourishes on the organ and electric guitar, dressed up with the group's usual exquisite harmonies. But these are followed by "Lady Take Me Down" and, especially, "Painted Eyes" and "Wild Bird," the latter a pounding contemporary rocker in which the electric lead guitar is pumped up and dominates even the harmony singing, all driven by a solid rock beat. And there's the softer, quirkier "Princess," which bridges pop/rock and folk-rock somewhere between its beat, wattage, and singing. It's difficult to know how to absorb those numbers, even 30 years on, especially as the album ends with the all-acoustic (even including a banjo) "Books About Us," a totally reflective folk-style ballad that's the best track on the record. And to top it off, there's also one superb Bob Dylan cover, "Tomorrow Is a Long Time," done acoustically and sung beautifully, which is almost worth the price of admission. It's all nicely executed, and the rock tracks are pleasant enough and even driving and memorable, but the gap between them and what surrounds them is still a little too wide to leap easily, though some may feel differently. ~ Bruce Eder
