Iron & Wine - The Sheperd's Dog

Perhaps as a testament to their recording with Calexico, the addition of a full roster of musicians to the Iron and Wine fold shouldn't be all that surprising. On their third full-length, Sam Beam and company stick to percussive, groove-based arrangements that don't lose the emotion or spookiness of Beam's earlier lo-fi output. Swirling, jazzy fills are well placed, but the swollen band's growth truly shines during tribal moments like "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)," when they lock in as tight as The Wailers. For Beam, Shepherd's Dog is slightly optimistic in tonality, yet the frequent use of biblical symbolism and the fact it was born from his self-described "political confusion" hold together the haunting overtones expected of him. His trademark prose still stands out; it only seems he's added color when there was once black and white. [www.ironandwine.com]