Shawn Colvin finally became a star with her 1996 album "A Few Small Repairs" and its hit single, "Sunny Came Home." Her breakthrough came at a point in her career when even her fans were beginning to doubt whether she would ever produce a consistently great album. After a long period working to establish herself on the folk scene and working as a backing vocalist for artists such as Suzanne Vega and Eric Andersen, Colvin released her first album, "Steady On," in 1989. Unfortunately, inconsistency was the hallmark of her recording career; she wrote some terrific songs ("I Don't Know Why" may be one of the most beautiful songs ever written), but not all her material reached that level. She was also often victimized by heavy-handed and questionable production choices that were probably beyond her control, including a poorly-conceived and executed album of her favorite songs by other songwriters called "Cover Girl"(1994). Despite her obvious vocal and songwriting talents, it began to appear that Colvin might never a record a great album.

"A Few Small Repairs" changed everything. Colvin wrote or co-wrote a solid and intelligent batch of songs that seemed far more meaningful and heartfelt than her previous output. Working closely with a sympathetic producer, the gifted musician/producer John Leventhal, Colvin's songs were, for the first time, arranged in a manner that complemented rather obscured the melodies. "Repairs" was a success on every level, and Colvin finally found a large audience.

Few notice a musician's struggle to build a career, but once you've had a hit, everyone pays attention. Wisely, Shawn Colvin took five years to record and release a follow-up to "Repairs," and it was time well-spent. "Whole New You" is the best album of Colvin's career. Collaborating once again with Leventhal, Colvin has crafted some of the best songs she's ever written, with lyrics that are insightful and personal, if occasionally enigmatic. She also demonstrates continued growth as a vocalist, exhibiting an almost jazz-like phrasing and sense of time. Leventhal apparently handled most of the arrangements, and if they are built around drum loops a little too often for this listener, the music is always effective and never boring. "A Matter of Minutes," Anywhere You Go," "Bonefields" and the beautiful closer, "I'll Say I'm Sorry Now," are the obvious highlights, but there's really not a bad track here.

"Whole New You" is one of the best albums of the early months of 2001, and it bodes well for the continued success of Shawn Colvin.

I've found that I need patience to listen to music. For the most part, I am not drawn to radio-accessible music. Though I do not consider myself a music snob, rarely do I 'like' much on a first listen. And this is equally true of Shawn Colvin's music. I like Shawn. I like her style. I love her music - eventually.

As a whole (no pun intended), I had a hard time getting into and appreciating 'Whole New You'. MULTIPLE listens were required to get to the point where I wanted or needed to hear a song or the entire disk. Some songs easier to latch onto than others, but that's true of all her disks.

'Matter of Minutes', 'Whole New You' and 'Bound To You' have immediate appeal. But my biggest draw to the record was the unconventinal 'Another Plane Went Down'. Immediately, I found myself playing that song repeatedly. I cannot adequately describe it - but there is some hook in the song that just grabs me. I can honestly say there is only one song that has never grown on me - "Roger Wilco". Maybe it's my aversion to Edie Brickell, who co-wrote the song.

I find John Leventhal's production and arrangments to be understated and dark, but ultimately extremely fulfilling ("Bonefields", "Mr. Levon"). Parts of the disk are so low key, you almost miss the nuances of the music.

It still rates extremely high on my play-list and continues to sit in one of my players (home, car, office or portable cd player) 18 mos after it's release.

I say get it - but do not listen to it casually. It's a disk that takes effort and concentration to truly appreciate.

I have been a huge Shawn Colvin fan for almost 15 years, but I am more than a little disappointed with "Whole New You". When I listen to a Shawn Colvin album, I want to hear Shawn sing wonderful lyrics and play her acoustic guitar - either alone or with a background that highlights that singing and playing. John Leventhals backgrounds are overproduced, making the vocals seem hidden or less important. It seems that this album is more about Leventhal, and less about Shawn. Many of the songs seem disjointed, often jumping abruptly between verse, chorus and bridge - as if each section of the song was written separately and patched together later.

I was hoping this album would grow on me, but not so far. All I can say is that I can't wait for her next album, to see if she can gain control of the musical focus of her own career.

Better luck next time.

My heart sank when I heard the title track from Whole New You. For me, A Few Small Repairs was the album of 1996 and for most of the following year. It was one of those rare albums which seemed to be written about my experiences. When I hear it now I get a frisson of vivid memory- where I was living, what I was going through, colleagues I worked with. Whole New You (the track) is a radio friendly single- but with none of the musical or lyrical depth of Sunny Came Home. Hearing Colvin's voice again, singing new material, was a pleasure. But my hopes weren't high for the new album. Maybe it was payback time for a record company that has enjoyed modest, but not huge, commercial success with an artist. Just one listen through had me feeling slightly guilty for doubting. Shawn Colvin has again produced an album of (mostly) perfectly crafted songs- the best having a sinister edge that makes you shiver. Another Plane Went Down pulls you into a feverish, dream darkened half-sleep and is my stand out track so far. Mr Levon comes a close second. I'd Say I'm Sorry Now closes the album beautifully. One worry is that some songs have been overproduced- but that makes me want to hear them played live all the more. Three months into the year and this already feels like it will be my favourite album of 2001. If I find anything better by December then it will have been a bloody good year.

It's pretty easy to see when you read these reviews that there are two types of Shawn Colvin fans: The folksy late 80s Shawn fans and the Grammy winning John Leventhal conspiring Shawn fans.

I have every one of her CDs. I bought them after I became entranced with "A Few Small Repairs". Frankly, her earlier efforts, while good, didn't quite do it for me. "A Whole New You" is truly in the same ballpark as her grammy effort.

If you thought "A Few Small Repairs" was a sellout then I suggest you save your money or buy a Mary Chapin Carpenter CD instead.