shutterpop@aol.com wrote:

>What are people thinking about the new Joe Jackson disc?

It's pretty good. I've only listened to it a couple of times, casually 
rather than critically, but it's sort of a hybrid of the sound of the first 
two records with the NIGHT AND DAY stuff. The sound was more impressive 
than the songs, which didn't impress me as much (and made me think back on 
whether Joe was ever really a great songwriter to begin with, as opposed to 
soundmaker). Forced into a comparison with WHEN I WAS CRUEL, VOLUME 4 is a 
more satisfying bunch of pop songs, for whatever the comparison's worth and 
with the knowledge that I wasn't nearly as impressed with CRUEL as many 
others were- I'm not sure that I don't still think BRUTAL YOUTH isn't a 
better record.

but I digress,
b.s.