Reviews
5 stars out of 5 - "ILLINOIS is an extraordinary achievement, all the more so as Stevens played most of the parts himself.", Included in the Wire's "2005 Rewind: 50 Records of the Year.", 3 stars out of 5 - "When focusing on life's minute joys or its mundane horror, Stevens' voice is as true and profound as an angel.", Ranked #5 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2005" - "The album continues his brave/insane quest to document the whole of our great nation's quilt of quirks...", Ranked #24 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "A boundless cornucopia utilising choir, woodwind and Vince Guaraldi-like piano...", "...Finespun songs variously inspired by Carl Sandburg, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., and the 'Seer's' tower....ILLINOIS sounds quaint and even magical." - Grade: B+, Ranked #8 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "A Chicago World's Fair of the ear -- a rebirth of wonder, discovery, and progress...", "The album sounds as informed by middle-American community theater, church choirs, and John Adams' American operas as any canonical 'folk rock' it may resemble." - Grade: A-
