[darklinensuit]

I like WISYA, and I agree with the poster who wrote that her vocal tone is deliberate. I find her voice on this far less grating than on I Sing for the Things, though she uses that same scratchy voice on my favorite version of Lady from the Mountain, and it works for me there.
I love the RAL album. It has a positive energy that lifts me up. I agree that many of the lyrics are less obscure (and intriguing) than her earlier ones, but there are some lines I love, like the "Come back, solemn stranger" one. Her voice has so much punch on this album.
This ought to ruffle some feathers, but I don't think EFO is any more meaningful or catchier than much of what's rocking on the RAL album. I much prefer Imperial Hotel or No Spoken Word. As much as people criticize her voice on this album, I enjoy it more than a few spots on the SYW album. At the starts of EFO and DR, Stevie's voice sounds flat to me in a way I haven't heard since some of my least fave vocals on TOSOTM, such as Alice, Two Kinds of Love, and b-side Real Tears. (Of course, on both the SYW and TOSOTM albums, I like the vocals on most songs.)
Also, IMO one of the great things about the RAL and Tango albums is the unpredictability/uniqueness of her vocals on the first listen. In WTTRS, I love the"This is a dream, right? Deja vu" and "uh uh" (before "well, I thought that you were mine").
I like The Nightmare on RAL because it has the weirdest lyrics on the album. "So about the moon and her sisters/How dare he take them prisoner/Well, if she had flung out her heart against him/Then in all of her wisdom/Oooh, that was a mystery" (yeah, I'll say). Still, like Johnny Stew, I do "get" the songs on this album.
As for Red Rover, originally I preferred it to Come. Now I like the verses on Come more, I am impressed by the guitar on RR more, but I really don't like the chorus in either song. The RR chorus just drags on each listen, and I have no desire to hum or sing along or think about the lyrics.
Christy, since you asked about other songs, I'll add that I cannot stand Chris's songs on Time except for All Over Again, which is my favorite song on the album. I cannot stand Family Man because of the music; I have no problem with the repetitive lyrics or vocals. I like You and I Part II, but not Part I. I think Affairs of the Heart could be much improved. I think Ghosts is one of the best songs on TOSOTM. I could go on with more opinions, but this thread is starting to look more and more like my old "Okay, Confess" one.

- Jake