Compositionally, The Shepherd's Dog is Iron and Wine's most ambitious and accomplished recording to date. It's also the most satisfying. While many of us learned of Iron and Wine by way of Sam Beam's tender and spare rendering of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" on the Garden State soundtrack, those who dug deeper discovered a classic American tunesmith with a precocious musical signature. Taken as a whole, The Shepherd's Dog is informed by a sensuality that brings a dreamscape to life. The Shepherd's Dog features guest appearances by Calexico.