3.4 - Extremely earnest, often cloyingly so. For example, there's the saccharin ode to Van Gogh on "Vincent." He also pays tribute to a florist on 42nd St in the somewhat touching but mostly sappy "Sister Fatima." To make this album even more on par for the era, McLean rounds it out with an anti-war protest song ("The Grave"). Still, there are more than a few stirring moments on the beloved title track that excuse many of the sentimental excesses.