>>they have failed to deliver since their comeback<<

I can see where people would feel that if they were attached to the old sound, because the EATB from the 90s forward do sound like a different band. I'm not one to hang on to the past as much, I guess because to me the present seems much better than their old stuff. I LOVE some of their old stuff but think most of their early albums were pretty hit or miss. I thought Evergreen was consistantly great, WAYGDWYL was the BEST ALBUM THEY'VE EVER DONE and Flowers had some of their best stuff ever mie with some weaker moments. I'm very let down by Ian's new album however...

As far as Ian's voice, he is one of my all time favorites and a big influence lyrically and vocally. I think that his voice is still decent, but if he ever wants to sound great again he should try pulling that cigarette from his lips at some point and let his vocal cords heal.

dw