Whatever Irwin and Bean have been up to in the past six years, it's done them good. Thinking of You is one of their most realized albums to date.

The deft lyrics and trademark harmonies are backed up by some really rich orchestration. We're talking a saw here. This album is all originals, but songs like "Jack the Knife" still have the feel of your standard murder ballad.

I actually prefer the more upbeat tunes to the slow ones on this album, though. All the lyrics, however, still retain that Freakwater ascerbicism, which isn't quite in the realm of country or rock. My favorite lyrics come from "Loserville," which begins

"Here down in Loserville/ The way you say if looks could kill/ We'd all been dead long ago/ And you say maybe you are/ And maybe you just don't know.

While "Thinking of You" is a country album supreme, though some of its melodies borrow from classic rock, a departure for them. "So Strange" has a distinct Bakersfield Sound. "Double Clutch," with its echoing tambourine, just feels good. And is that guitar riff on "Hi Ho Silver" borrowed from Crimson and Clover? Yes, I think it is.

Freakwater is often lumped into the alt-country category, but that's debatable. If you're burned out on Jay Ferrar's piousness, you might wanna check out "Thinking of You." It has all the qualities of country music that disappeared circa 1975 Glen Campbell, and thank heavens for that.