Picking up where "Hellbound" left off, Shandy returns with the familiar themes (incarceration, ironic demise, the sinister hand of fate) but gives them a brand new suit. Shandy's 'folk-noir' style is complete with the usual lyrical edge ("A humorous sense of wicked," says one) as well as inspired and memorable melodies, quick and dirty mandolin solos and production that is proudly non-Nashville. "I didn't want 'Broken Hearts' to sound like a slick over-produced twenty-dollar CD. I wanted folks to listen to it and feel like I'm sitting there playing in front of them." These tracks have a certain sense of intimacy about them. Perhaps the core of this record is track number twelve, "Dreamland." Sure, it's eleven minutes long, but it's packed with destiny, Baptists, roofing, the Civil War, a fall from the gable of a church and the afterlife. Now that's a bargain. If you liked "Devils & Crows" and "Hellbound," you'll love "Broken Hearts & Bitter Ends." If you didn't like them, you'll love it anyway.