Well after four years of waiting the day arrived. I can't say I was disappointed at all. Although the lyrics lack the complexity of the earlier albums - they certainly are more honest. Jakob also sounds different too. But, in this case different is good. I think any band needs an evolution of sorts, while not being the one I would have predicted - it's probably better than the one which everyone expected. They're more Tom Petty than Hootie or the Counting Crows. Sleepwalker is a great track as is Up from Under (beautiful). One thing I have noticed, no pianos...why?? Not complaining, just wondering. The UK version of this CD has a Sleepwalker demo track and the hidden track Babybird - also fantastic. I would say out of 12 of the tracks, 9 are outstanding. The track Murder 101 featuring Elvis Costello is The Wallflowers at their best. Don't compare it to previous albums, rate it on it's own merits - there are many to choose from.

I was never a big Wallflowers fan...until now. I thought Bringing Down the Horse was ok but overrated. Since Breach came out, I have since revisited BDTH and have come to like it. That said, I believe that Breach is a better album. The first time I listened to Breach, I thought it was a decent collection but had no stand out tracks. Boy, did my opinion change after several listens. Dylan explores the difficulties of being a second generation star in Hand Me Down. I've Been Delivered and Witness are two of the best ballads I've heard in years. As for the rockers, Some Flowers Bloom Dead, Letters From the Wasteland, and Sleepwalker are outstanding. There really isn't a bad track on the album. On the last listed track, Birdcage, (there is a hidden one) Jakob Dylan's voice starts to sound a little like another famous Dylan. I guess in some ways it will always be like father like son. Now when can we see a double billing of the Wallflowers and Bob Dylan? That's a show I would like to see.

I have never been a big fan of the Wallflowers. The fact that "One Headlight" was played every 15 minutes for about a year probably has something to do with that. However, Breach is something of a revelation to me. From the first rack to the last one, I find myslef enjoying each and every song, skipping nothing, and listening to the album no less than three times a day. Songs like "Up From Under" and "Letters From the Wasteland" may not have the immense radio appeal of "One Headlight," but this is an album that's greater than the sum of its parts. I've read the critical reviews, including the less-than-glowing 4 of 10 Spin offered, but the truth is that this is a very good offering. Joakob Dylan's voice sounds great, and while critics attack some of the album's lyrics, ostensibly becasue they're unoriginal, I get the feeling it's because he's not his old man. I love Bob Dylan; he's actually my favorite artist. But holding Jakob Dylan (or anyone) to his standards sets them up for failure no matter what they do. So, this is my advice: read what the critics say if you want, but buy the album and decide for yourself whether or not it's good. And if your tastes fall in line with mine, you won't be able to stop listening.

The first four tunes are very catchy and immediately pulled me in, but I was surprised at how much more there was to explore. This CD is not just a collection of good rock songs that work well together. It has depth that comes from struggle, has a lot of contrasts, has a lot of variation in expression - sometimes using a bitter irony to express the pain of rejection. "Hand me Down" and "Murder 101" are obvious examples of that irony. It tends toward negativity, but it's not a world-weary or twisted kind of negativity; it's more about an awakening to disppointment and facing it. "Some Flowers Never Bloom" is a sad song about a broken relationship, but it has an upbeat kind of tempo and a catchy refrain.

The strongest song on the CD in my opinion is "I've been Delivered". The lyrics are about a struggle against conformity: "I would move swift when the sounds of a trumpet would blow/I've been the puppet/I've been the strings/I know the vacant face it brings". Another song about deliverance is the hidden track "Baby Bird".

This is a CD that wears well with many good songs tightly put together.

Most bands falter under the pressure of following up a huge album. And all too often a stylistic shift dooms good artists. Yet here the Wallflowers defeat both those challenges with an incredible, beautiful album. They move away from the rockin sound of their wildly successful Bringing Down the Horse and deliver a more stripped-down acoustic based, folk inspired album. This works perfectly, and the results are moving. The soulful "Mourning Train", visual "Some Flowers Bloom Dead", and "Up From Under" all carry Jakob Dylan's genius lyrics and wordplay along with some of his best vocals yet. "Letters From the Wasteland" and the single "Sleepwalker" turn up the volume a little but but lose nothing in the power department. Breach didn't sell nearly as well as BDTH or the next album Red Letter Days, which further proves the mainstream public doesn't know good music (although the Wallflowers are one modern rock band fighting all the crap). This is a ten-song masterpiece that you will not just hear but FEEL. Anyone with parents will understand the despair of "Hand Me Down" and that's just the beginning. Don't buy the "flop" argument around this album, it's just too good for most people. Don't be one of them!!!