master pie ce " ▁and ▁said , ▁" Re leased ▁in ▁the ▁inter zone ▁between ▁post - p unk ▁and ▁synth ▁pop , ▁and ▁reflect ing ▁both , ▁Soul ▁M ining ▁thr ums ▁with ▁ideas , ▁t ension ▁and ▁dread . ▁Johnson ' s ▁end uring ▁lyr ical ▁concerns ▁– ▁social ▁al ien ation , ▁political ▁dis ill usion ment ▁and ▁troubles ▁of ▁the ▁heart ▁– ▁are ▁all ▁present ▁and ▁correct , ▁but ▁unlike ▁the ▁industrial / ps ych ed el ic ▁advent uring ▁of ▁Burn ing ▁Blue ▁Soul , ▁they ▁are ▁here ▁given ▁a ▁gl oss ier ▁she en ... ▁C ertain ly , ▁for ▁an ▁album ▁of ▁heavy ▁them es , ▁Soul ▁M ining ▁is ▁mus ically ▁surprising ly ▁light ." ▁He ▁concluded , ▁" S oul ▁M ining ▁is ▁arg u ably ▁Johnson ' s ▁defining ▁work : ▁am bit ious , ▁strange , ▁exc iting . ▁And , ▁ 3 0 - odd ▁years ▁on , ▁remark ably ▁fresh ." ▁In ▁Q ▁Peter ▁Pap h ides ▁described ▁the ▁album ▁as ▁being ▁" like ▁one ▁long ▁dist ress ▁signal ▁from ▁someone ▁being ▁held ▁against ▁their ▁will ▁inside ▁a ▁S art re ▁novel ". ▁He ▁stated , ▁" The ▁years ▁might ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁quite ▁so ▁kind ▁to ▁Soul ▁M ining ▁were ▁it ▁not ▁for ▁the ▁inspired ▁guest ▁performances ▁that ▁Johnson ▁te ased ▁out ▁of ▁his ▁collabor ators ", ▁sing ling ▁out ▁Holland ' s ▁piano ▁solo ▁as ▁" a ▁high ▁point ▁on ▁an ▁album ▁full ▁of ▁them ". ▁Alex is