This time, Don Henley collaborates with a dozen different writers and producers to create what I can safely say is the best of his three albums. Side one opens with the poignant title track, which (as anyone can guess from the piano riff) was co-written and produced with Bruce Hornsby. Next, Henley shows his rougher edges with "How Bad Do You Want It?" and especially the sassy "I Will Not Go Quietly" (which veers dangerously toward heavy metal). The album's most powerful song is the haunting "New York Minute" which begins by describing a suicide.

Are there any "happy" songs on "The End of the Innocence"? Frankly, no. While "Little Tin God" may border on witty sarcasm, most lyrics contain dark overtones. The music, on the other hand, can be uplifting, as in "Shangri La."

If there is one track on this record that could be omitted, I would choose the decent, but clich"-ridden "The Last Worthless Evening." Apart from that minor flaw, Don Henley has finally made an essential album. n