After a streak of albums that could be considered less than stellar, the Crash Test Dummies and Brad Roberts return to their roots and find themselves in excellent form.
With the Dummies stripped of all the electronic experimentation and quirky, Shel Silverstein-esque lyrics that hindered their past few releases, the haunting, sparse acoustic instrumentation makes a welcome return to the forefront of the songwriting process.
This only reinforces and complements Roberts' existentially bereft baritone folk tales to their fullest potential.
The sonnets used for lyrics are some of the Crash Test Dummies' darkest and most brooding in their entire catalog, talking tales of murder, sinister deeds, punishment, sin, and death.
Songs of the Unforgiven is the record die-hard fans have been patiently waiting for, and it's outstanding.
From start to finish, it's a welcome return to the fold, one of the best releases in their catalog yet, and a major turning of the page forward in an otherwise tumultuous career.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PreludeBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 00:19 | 0 MB | 1 MB |
| 2 | And So Will Always BeBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 3 | The Unforgiven OnesBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 4 | Interlude 1Brad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 00:23 | 0 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Come Down to the SinkholeBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 6 | Everlasting PeaceBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 7 | Sonnet 2 (And Back in Ages Past)Brad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 02:40 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 8 | The Beginning of the EndBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 9 | Interlude 2Brad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 00:36 | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| 10 | You've Had Your RunBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | There Is No Final WinnerBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 02:13 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 12 | You've Done It Once AgainBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 13 | Sonnet 3 (The Cold Is Here)Brad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 02:04 | 4 MB | 11 MB |
| 14 | The Wicked and the EvilBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 03:03 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 15 | PostludeBrad Roberts | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 01:16 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 16 | Sonnet 1 (And When the Sun Goes Down) | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 02:31 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 17 | Is The Spell Really Broken | Crash Test Dummies | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 40 mins | 92 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 217 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Boynton | Assistant |
| 2 | Chris Brown | Accordion, Piano, Pipe Organ, Wurlitzer |
| 3 | H. Christopher Brown | Organ Arrangement |
| 4 | Crash Test Dummies | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Michael Fossenkemper | Mastering |
| 6 | Elisa Garcia | Design |
| 7 | Drew Glackin | Bass, Bass (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Resonator), Lap Steel Guitar |
| 8 | Andrew Hall | Bass (Acoustic) |
| 9 | Brian Harding | Transcription |
| 10 | Scott Harding | Arranger, Audio Production, Cymbals, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Vibraphone, Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | David Mansfield | Banjo, Violin |
| 12 | Mimi Parker | Drums |
| 13 | Ellen Reid | Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Brad Roberts | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 15 | Suzzy Roche | Guest Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Jane Scarpantoni | Cello |
| 17 | Alan Sparhawk | Guitar (Electric) |
| 18 | Park Stickney | Harp |
| 19 | Eric Swanson | Engineer |
| 20 | Alex Theoret | Assistant |
| 21 | Michele Varian | Photography |
Crash Test Dummies
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |