Elliott Smith

Smith's major label debut from 1998 was also his first album after being nominated for an Oscar. With the shadow of expectation looming, he delivered exactly the sort of lush, song-driven work that his long-term fans had been praising for years. Augmented by strings and brighter production, tracks like "Baby Britain" and "Independence Day" showcase Smith at his poppiest.

Elliott Smith is the very model of a modern oho troubadour. He writes intimate cafe ballads
that suit his breathy voice, filling his songs with emotional wreckage; the man knows how
to give bad love a good name. Smith started out as just another muffled folkie choking on
his own self-pity, but he lightened up with a bang on 1997's excellent Either/Or. He also cut
a dashing figure at the Oscars, singing his Good Will Hunting theme song, "Miss Mis... More >

High tune, low affect ("Waltz #2 [XO]," "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands") (Grade - *)