The Truth also has more than its share of sweet love songs, particularly "Circle of Amour" and "Dionne." Notwithstanding the missteps -- the boneheaded vegetarian anthem "Animal Kingdom" has lyrics that read like something you might find in the diary of an especially sensitive fourteen-year-old girl, or like the lyrics of Paul McCartney -- this album has the feel of an artist reconnecting with his muse. Though it's a minor work, in both scope and power, it's also one that reaches back in time -- before 1991's atrocious Diamonds and Pearls -- and suggests that the Artist may yet temper his restless energy and workaholic drive with direction and focus.
-- Ben Greenman