Red Letter Days

1	When You're on Top 3:54
2	How Good It Can Get 4:11
3	Closer to You 3:17
4	Everybody Out of the Water 3:42
5	Three Ways 4:19
6	Too Late to Quit 3:54
7	If You Never Got Sick 3:44
8	Health and Happiness 4:03
9	See You When I Get There 3:09
10	Feels Like Summer Again 3:48
11	Everything I Need 3:37
12	Here in Pleasantville 4:10
13	[Untitled Hidden Track] 3:31

Barnes & Noble

In the astrological realm, "red letter days" are the most chaotic in a person's chart -- marking a period when Mercury goes retrograde and, essentially, turns everything upside down. The latest Wallflowers' effort -- which, given Jakob Dylan's propensity for things non-corporeal, is probably rooted in that precept -- isn't quite that erratic. It does, however, offer a few sharp sonic jolts to go along with the band's trademark cinematic rock sound. The most immediate of the tunes, "Everybody Out of the Water," pulses along on an electrifying guitar riff, courtesy of Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, who makes his presence felt on several of the disc's tunes. Equally alluring, albeit on the other end of the intensity spectrum, is the airy "Closer to You," on which Dylan murmurs his sweet nothings over a simple piano-buoyed melody. Still, the Flowers assert their typical anthemic bent on songs such as "Everything I Need" and "When You're on Top," a cleverly constructed, grass-is-greener tale that ranks with the singer's more provocative works. Initial pressings of Red Letter Days feature two bonus tracks, including the band's driving rendition of Elvis Costello's "(What's So Funny About) Peace Love and Understanding." David Sprague

All Music Guide

The Wallflowers' long-awaited third album, Breach, was a strong, confident record that demonstrated clear growth from Jakob Dylan as a songwriter and the Wallflowers as a band. Thing is, everybody ignored it. Critics wrote it off and the large audience Bringing Down the Horse attracted shunned it, leaving the band in an awkward position of having to prove themselves yet again with their fourth album, Red Letter Days. The first striking thing about the album is that its production is a clear reaction to the failure of Breach. Glistening where its predecessor had a semblance of grit, this is a polished mainstream rock record, designed to win back listeners who loved the band by hearing "One Headlight" on the radio repeatedly. Dylan has adjusted his songwriting slightly, too, playing up the hooks and the melodies, which is hardly selling out. Even so, it's hard not to wish that the album had a bit more of the quirks and muscle that gave Breach its backbone. Without it, Red Letter Days isn't quite as forceful, but it is accomplished, melodic, and attractive, especially since the simple fact is, there are very few bands making this kind of post-Tom Petty classicist rock in the 2000s, and those that do don't do it as well, which is why this album is welcome, no matter how glossy the production is. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rolling Stone

A straightforward barnburner of an album. Holly George-Warren