The title of the album itself seems to indicate that Todd has been struggling with things......whatever they are. With that mind set, it could explain the impression that he had sort of "thrown" this album together". But then I sat back and realized that the overall composition of the record still follows the "broadway format" he has used on numerous older solo albums, only now with some modern day elements to it.....(for instance, let's use the double-album "Todd" as an example)...There is.....
Like I said, I think Surf Talks and Buffalo Grass (and maybe HMLAT) would have been the start of an excellent album. He still owes us that.....and I have confidence he will still do it. I just hope he can shake the recent political themes and sac sacrilegious satire out of his head. That stuff makes him take a direction I don't care for......not necessarily what he's saying, but what it does to his music. I don't like it.