Condition of CD: MINT CONDITION!

One review reads: '  Ian Hunter's last three solo albums have been on different labels and all are out of print. Some may conclude that Ian's career never recovered from the loss of his friend and collaborator Mick Ronson to cancer. However, Ian has never been one to deliberately seek fame and fortune, even while fronting Mott the Hoople.

Because Ian creates music for music's sake, and because he has found a simpatico collaborator in Andy York from John Mellencamp's band, Ian gives us his strongest and most consistent post-Ronson effort. The songs on Shrunken Heads reflect Ian's take on life - both personal and community. He has been one of rock's most enduring songwriters for decades and he hasn't lost his touch one bit.

Musically, the album is based on the same Dylan/Stone-ish rock that has always served Ian's vocal range very well. There are also shades of Mellencamp and Springsteen. Thematically the album is an American version of Ian's last release - Rant - which took on the state of affairs in England, Ian's homeland. Ian has been a resident of the US since 1976 (reference All American Alien Boy), and Shrunken Heads gives equal time and focus to the other side of the Atlantic.

The title track is a wonderful "rant" about political leaders (the shrunken heads) who make bad decisions that hurt common people. Soul of America is a lament for the soul-less-ness that too often pervades the American landscape. Brainwashed takes on American consumerism (and reminds me of my 15 yr. old daughter for some odd reason). How's Your House is a post-Katrina story. The media takes their lumps in Fuss About Nothin'.

The political "rants" are balanced with insightful personal songs. Words (Big Mouth) is an apology for last night's temper tantrum, characterized as the "black dog lurking in the alley way." Throughout much of the album - as is the case in much of Ian's music - is the theme of redemption, found here in the song Guiding Light. A bit of humor to help those who, like Ian, are past middle age appears in I Am What I Hated When I Was Young, brilliantly paired with a bluegrass arrangement.

The album's closer, Read 'Em and Weep, showcases Ian's strength - the ballad. The song stands with other great Hunter ballads such as Sea Diver, Rose, Rest In Peace, Irene Wilde, Ships, and his tribute to Mick Ronson, Michael Picasso.

Whether or not Shrunken Heads catapults Ian into the charts (or at least into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) probably isn't on Ian's mind. Forget about charts and legacies, and enjoy finely crafted music from a master.

Note: Pre-orders from the record label included a three-track bonus disc that included two songs that are as good if not better than anything else on the full CD. Only 1000 were pressed in the US, so seek out this rarity.

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