"Dog" is the predominant word in this album, titled "Ghost of a Dog." "Dog" is mentioned in many songs including "Times Like This" with the lyrics "make sure the cat is in/don't worry 'bout the dog." Even in "This Eye," a song about suicide recorded outdoors along with the title track, a dog is mentioned.

On the title track to "Ghost of a Dog," Edie Brickell and New Bohemians explain in a soft ballad about how a ghost of a dog that they ran over years ago, is "barkin' in the backyard."

Edie and New Bohemians' first album "Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars" (1988) contained a more pop-related recording than "Ghost of a Dog." This album brings back memories of the old Grateful Dead with a much more folksy subdued style.

"Ghost of a Dog" has fourteen tracks and ranges from the soulful first single "Mama Help Me" to '60s folk tunes "Black and Blue" or "This Eye." It also has some weird songs like "Oak Cliff Bra" and "Ghost of a Dog."

Some surprise appearances on the album include backing vocals by Johnny Lydon (formerly of the Sex Pistols, now with Public Image Limited) on "Strings of Love" and Paul Simon who appears uncredited.

If you carefully read through the lyrics booklet, you will notice a letter is missing from a word in each song which spells out the album's title (for example song one is missing a G, song two is missing an H, song three is missing an O ...).

This album's lyrics are well thought-out, not as sketchy as "Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars" and the tunes mix well. This shows that Edie Brickell and New Bohemians are not just another pop group. They are a talented band who are here to stay. n