Combining gorgeous clarity with sly wit, Eric Schwartz tickles taboos and heartstrings with his curious and courageous compositions. From the simple patterns of "Only Be" to the ingenious metamorphosis of "I Just Killed Kafka", and from the Arthurian legend of "My Lady of the Broken Glass" to the depressingly contemporary "Psycho Ballet," Schwartz holds up mirrors some might wish were broken. He has a creative honesty that is both brutal and vital. Especially affecting are the aching blues "What's a Poor Boy to Do?" and the piano bar structures of the devotional ballad "Brother Mine." Nearly every song grabs (sometimes a bit uncomfortably) at the listener. In dealing with diverse topics with a singular talent, Schwartz not only demonstrates a command of many styles of music , but ushers in what will hopefully be a new breed of songwriters who can deal with traditional, modern, and post-modern forms with near-equal aplomb.