Aimee is one of my favourite song-writer... and her latest release is a good exemple of the mastery of her art... as usual the songs of thee forgotten arms are catchy, efficient, flawless... the lyrics are maybe even better...

This is a good album, but it's not a great Aimee Mann album. The pacing is remarkably even, but all of the songs have a fairly similar feel to them, unlike the more individual sounding songs on Bachelor #2 and the Magnolia Soundtrack. It does grow on you with a few listens. Definitely worth picking up if you're an Aimee fan, but if not, you'd be better off starting with Bachelor #2.… Expand

A great follow up to Lost in Space (admittedly, possibly even better than said album). Faves include King of the Jailhouse, Going Through the Motions, I Can't Get My Head Around It and Video

Not bad, but lacks excitement of many of her earlier releases. All the songs are competent, but there really aren't any truly great ones.

The songs seem to be simple rehashes of her earlier work. They sound watered down and not as creative. Still, they're good enough to be listened to often but maybe that's because they're new. Time will tell, but this doesn't appear to be one of Aimee's better efforts.

Can her albums get any duller? Her decline from the sublime "Whatever" to the ridiculous is now complete. How many times does she have to write and sing about the same thing? Enough is enough-only buy this album if you need help sleeping.

Joe Henry owns! The album flows beautifully and has a subtlety we hear far too seldom in modern recording.

Brilliance.. Emotional, smart song writing. An oasis in an otherwise arid sex obsessed caravan of popular musidiots.

A little uneven, but still quite worthwhile for fans and non-fans alike.

Mann's best work yet. It took me a few listens to realize that. She's become much more on this album and Lost In Space -- even the transcendant Bachelor No. 2 had its flaws. The lyrics on "Goodbye Caroline" might be her finest. One of the top albums of the year.

No, there are no major musical innovations here (honestly, there haven't been any since Bachelor No. 2 for Aimee), but this is still arguably the most consistent album she has released yet, and it's great to hear her sounding revitalized after the near-terminally dull Lost In Space. There is no way that wasn't a run-on sentence.

Terrific. Benefits enormously from the new stripped-down sound (no fussy overdubs... a much leaner production) which gives it a real directness. A real relief to get away from complaint and confessional and move towards writing about third parties. Great stuff.

This album is still growing on me. Very very nice effort by Aimmee. Congrats

On this site, i continue to hear the same thing; Lost in Space was dull. One, people who say that didn't listen to the lyrics whatsoever; It's Not, Today's the Day, and Real Bad News are some of the best, and most tragically beautiful, lyrics i have ever heard. So when I popped The Forgotten Arm, I was shocked to hear that some of the songs slipped a bit in the lyrical department. They were all still beautiful, but it seemed that Aimee wasn't behind all of them 100%. Goodbye Caroline and Beautiful captured my heart from the first go 'round, but the others will take a few more test drives before they become memorable.… Expand

very different yet very concistent with her previous work, especially bachelor and whatever. Loved all songs but no single one really stands out as a WOW (Exept maybe "this is how I knew this story would break my heart"). Sort of album that grows on you..... Like a good wine, u need to know about previous aimee to really appreciate it.

Though Aimee is by far my favorite songwriter, I find myself still wondering about The Forgotten Arm. I love the concept-album idea, and as always, I enjoy Aimee's excellent lyric sensibilities and her musical ideas. Both musically and lyrically, this album is a departure from her previous efforts; to a first time Aimee Mann buyer, I would recommend Bachelor No 2 before buying this CD. However, if you like AImee, this CD will take you to an new place; I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it's been in my CD player more than any other CD since I bought it May 3rd.… Expand

Complete brilliance! Aimee is such a talented and gifted song writer. Songs are full of emotions and flawless writing. She should have won the Academy Award for her work in Magnolia over Phil's Collins cartoon song ;-)

Ploughing through "Lost in Music" for the first time brought back memories of my disappointment towards Prince's "Graffiti Bridge"; the shock that creative fatigue happens to the great ones, too. It was the first time an Aimee Mann album made me yawn(even 'til tuesday's "Welcome Home") has more high points). With some trepidation, I pressed "play" on my cheap-ass cd player, and that trepidation was waylaid. Aimee Mann is back. There's no "Mr. Harris"(I think this is her finest moment), "Frankenstein", or "Ghost World", but Mann is once again melding intelligent lyrics to hummable melodies like no other female singer-songwriter in the past fifteen years. And this includes the third 'til tuesday album, which has "Rip in Heaven", where Mann deftly encapsulates romantic disappointment with unerring naked verve in its rousing chorus, and "Limits to Love", a character sketch every bit as stunning as "Mr. Harris". As for "The Forgotten Arm", my favorite songs are "Goodbye Caroline", "Video", and "I Can't Help you Anymore". She's coming to Hawaii and I hope she plays "Sign of Love"(from "Back to the Beach"), even though it's a cover. Somebody needs to give that neglected gem some props.… Expand