C O V E R		R E V I E W
		So the guy's had an Academy Award nomination, and now an album on Dreamworks...it must be crap, right? With all the low-budget indie charm bled out of it? Hell no. XO is a damn fine album -- Smith has used Major Label Money to more fully realize his artistic vision, adding strings and horns and apparently whatever he needs to get each song just right. When, midway through "Sweet Adeline", the unobtrusive guitar melody is suddenly and explosively backed by piano, bass and drums, it's a revelation. Smith's musical agenda borrows rather thoroughly from the Beatles (more identifiably so in this higher-budget incarnation), though he imbues each song with a measure of heartache, sadness and loss that belies the upbeat rhythms. Moments of utter gorgeousness include the piano pop of "Baby Britain", the achingly elegant 4/4 depression of "Waltz #1" (and its immediate counterpoint in the guitar-blaring intensity of "Amity") and the daring a cappella closer, "I Didn't Understand". The only downside to this exceptional disc is that it's likely to make Smith a household name -- especially with the full brunt of Dreamworks' marketing money behind it. But listening to XO is such an intimate experience, you'll feel like Smith's talent is a secret the two of you share.
	I N F O
Elliott Smith XO Dreamworks CD
		Review by George Zahora

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