Robert Christgau's Consumer Guide, for mine, nails it (here): Somewhere beyond the plaintive quaver, rootsy supersession rock is mixed with pre-WW2 touches in a series of homely sketches--many of them about outsiders trying to make something of their lives, a theme to which a plaintive quaver is well-suited... B+
Hughesy's assessment: Quirky cerebral singer-songwriter artsy not quite rock that sits comfortably alongside the likes of David Ackles. Don't Forget What I Told You and Railroad Train Runnin' Up My Back are about as close as it gets to rocking out. Intriguing.
Track listing: The Song of the Elves / Nobody Knows / Tannenbaum / Davey's on the Road Again / Motorcycle Man / Rain Song / Don't Forget What I Told You/ The Fool Dressed in Velvet / Annie Looks Down / Did You See? / Railroad Train Runnin' Up My Back
Highlights: The Song of the Elves, Davey's on the Road Again, Annie Looks Down, Railroad Train Runnin' Up My Back
Worthwhile: Nobody Knows, Tannenbaum, Motorcycle Man, Rain Song. Don't Forget What I Told You, The Fool Dressed in Velvet, Did You See?