Greene is brilliant and ambitious, and he works his ass off. All of that is an open book in American Myth. He seems to be able to write from every human emotion, and shares Ryan Adams' gift of requiring little more than a nanosecond to turn any experience into a song. R&B is dominant in his arrangements, but it's mixed with the rock, country and blues of the same era--and updated with the occasional pop chorus.
For Myth, Verve also surrounded him with top players--Elvis Costello's rhythm section, Greg Leisz on pedal steel, Joel Guzman on accordion and a full horn section on some tracks. They evidently figured out the only thing that could improve on Greene's diverse and disciplined talent would be a setting that would turn it loose. The result is 14 tracks that just might restore your faith in the American dream.
