It's a safe bet to expect the unexpected in regards to any new
Lambchop effort, but the cryptically titled (and beautifully packaged)
What Another Man Spills is the band's most consistently surprising and deliriously eclectic outing to date, with new twists around every corner. While it's their loveliest record since
How I Quit Smoking, that album's
countrypolitan gauze is largely a thing of the past, replaced here by a dreamy,
jazz-like patina which proves a remarkably versatile backdrop not only for
Kurt Wagner's originals but for a vast range of covers, from
Dump's
"It's Not Alright" to
Curtis Mayfield's
"Give Me Your Love (Love Song)." The latter is easily the most jaw-dropping track on
What Another Man Spills, with the group easily slipping into the song's soulful groove without a hint of irony, not even in
Wagner's amazingly
Prince-like falsetto; a later cover of the
Frederick Knight smash
"I've Been Lonely for So Long," while less surprising, is no less engaging, further solidifying
Lambchop's growing debt to the
Stax/
Volt sound. Where the album's jumble of styles and offbeat covers might seem self-indulgent coming from any other band,
Lambchop somehow makes it all work with their wit, style, and intelligence intact -- even five records in, they never cease to amaze. ~ Jason Ankeny
