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The Shade Of Poison Trees
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The Shade Of Poison Trees Image
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

  • Summary: Chris Carrabba returns to acoustic rock on the band's fifth album.

Top Track

Thick As Thieves
Would it kill you to breathe easy? Only seventeen miles lay Between you and me I could make it if I had to I don't break easily You've got my... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. The A.V. Club
    83
    He's abandoned the approach [strummy sing-alongs] long enough to realize its every nuance, and such prowess turns a plaintive ballad like 'The Widow's Peak' into something more timeless than a mere emo lament.
  2. Amazon.com
    80
    Complete with its complicated lead and sprinkles of string instruments, it lies in contrast to the simplicity and blithe spirit of the record's remaining half-hour--but joins the other 11 songs directly in the wheelhouse of the Dashboard Confessional fervent.
  3. Stylus Magazine
    75
    Carrabba’s keening grandiloquence may have lost some of its most explicitly cathartic qualities, but The Shade of Poison Trees remains his best work in years.
  4. Boston Globe
    70
    The Florida native's fifth disc seems less of a struggle for brand identity, but it's still scarred by past glories.
  5. Sputnikmusic
    60
    As usual, Dashboard puts out an album with a couple of very good songs, and a bunch of passable filler. Recommended for fans, but still has nothing on what Dashboard used to put out.
  6. Blender
    60
    The result is more than nostalgia: Carrabba imbues all 12 tracks with welcome new tricks--layers of cascading harmonies, a startling falsetto and even a dash of subtlety.
  7. Q Magazine
    40
    The sugary 'Fever Dreams' and 'Little Bombs' sound threadbare, while glib homilies would shame the writers of Hallmark cards. [Dec 2007, p.115]
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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. SamS.
    Oct 18, 2007
    10
    Chris Carrabba rocks any type of album he releases. At first I missed the screaming and intensity of his other albums, but this is probably Chris Carrabba rocks any type of album he releases. At first I missed the screaming and intensity of his other albums, but this is probably the best acoustic album ever released.… Expand
  2. JakeB.
    Oct 15, 2007
    8
    While Chirs returns to the acoustic sound that made him legendary in my mind, he fails to make a beautifully cohesive album. I compare it to While Chirs returns to the acoustic sound that made him legendary in my mind, he fails to make a beautifully cohesive album. I compare it to "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar" in the sense that it doesn't flow. His first two albums were one incredible piece of music. That being said, its still Dashboard Confessional and its still incredible. Songs like "The Widow's Peak" "Thick As Thieves" "Where There's Gold" and "Clean Breaks" are perfect additions to his song book, they are the best on the album...in my opinion.… Expand
  4. KaiT.
    Oct 9, 2007
    6
    A bunch of ho-hum acoustic song lumped together into an album, the album feels like a filler EP before their next "serious" project is A bunch of ho-hum acoustic song lumped together into an album, the album feels like a filler EP before their next "serious" project is released. definately not essential, even for dashboard fans.… Expand
  5. MikeB.
    Jun 26, 2008
    6
    While "Shade of Poison Trees" does give a good glimpse back into what made Dashboard one of the most beloved bands for the younger While "Shade of Poison Trees" does give a good glimpse back into what made Dashboard one of the most beloved bands for the younger generation, this new album hardly mongers up the emotion that once drove Carraba's songs to "emo" greatness. Songs like "Fever Dreams" and "The Rush" give off some poppy sound that reflect nothing that Dashboard has put off before. Is this a sign of maturity or a sign of another identity crisis that Carabba seems to go through with every new album. The album does have its brightspots. "Where There's Gold" is one of the best lead tracks on any Dashboard album while "These Bones" give a nice reflection back to the mood setting of Dashboard's "A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar" album. "Little Bombs" finally shows the emotion that Carraba is loved for while "Matters of Blood and Connections" is the truest reflection of the earliest and most beloved Dashboard albums. To sum this album up, it's a mediocre identity crisis with a mess of old and new sounds with the old sounds mongering up the best songs on the album. Overall, Dashboard (or Carraba for that matter) need to find one identity that works, and forget about coveted radio-play and focus on the most important thing...the true beauty of good music… Expand
  6. JamesO.
    Oct 10, 2007
    5
    5 at first listen...grows on ya!
  7. NicholasS
    Nov 7, 2007
    5
    I lost faith in Carrabba a while ago (not long before the Spiderman soundtrack). The lyrics are somewhere out of 2000, just some of the worst I lost faith in Carrabba a while ago (not long before the Spiderman soundtrack). The lyrics are somewhere out of 2000, just some of the worst lyrics he has every written. He is trying to be sappy, but totally lost his touch. The music isn't very good either. The songs just aren't catchy, you don't want to hum along. You'll find yourself skipping through tracks trying to find a decent song. Very disappointing.… Expand