Although Forest For The Trees' debut is being hyped as the work of songwriter Carl Stephenson, who co-produced Beck's "Mellow Gold," the album itself is a severe disappointment for listeners hoping to discover Beck's creative blood-brother. Stephenson's vision is myopic by comparison on this collection of grating, half-baked tracks. The poorly-produced album lacks the wit of Ween, and its world-music collage pales in the shadow of work by Ashley MacIsaac or Dead Can Dance. Stephenson's own vocals are weary, even mind-dulling. The only redeeming feature is the single, "Dream," a catchy swath of sitar and bagpipes layered with pretty female vocals. No wonder Stephenson never wanted to release it.

-- Beth Winegarner

This article was originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle.