Stripped of his usual pomp, Sufjan’s latest explores his relationship with his troubled mother with grace, compassion, and brutal honesty.

“All Delighted People” contains some of the most ambitious music Sufjan has recorded to date, but it’s still just as heartfelt and poignant as ever.

I’ve heard most of the songs on here before, countless times. But I had never heard them like this, in such a sublime context.

This album has been like a breath of fresh air for me, even bringing me close to tears during some of the more haunting passages.

With his humility and subtlety, Stevens gets it right where so much of the “praise and worship” music out there gets it so very wrong so much of the time.

Stevens’ love for crafting beautiful, complex arrangements is still in full effect.

Sufjan Stevens displays a real knack for taking his arsenal of abstract sounds and letting them go wild without damaging his music’s integrity.