This came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
What goes around comes around in Daniel Lanois’ world — eventually.
Early in his career, the Canadian producer worked as an engineer on some of Brian Eno’s pioneering ambient albums. Now, 25 years later, Lanois revisits those days with Belladonna, his second album in three years after a decade-long recording drought. Reminiscent of a minimalist Calexico outing, the 13-track instrumental set finds Lanois creating dusty musical portraits of the southwest with the twangy, languid shimmer of his steel guitar and the vast, stark vistas of his ethereal post-rocky soundscapes. But like the desert he seeks to evoke, Belladonna is striking at first, but quickly becomes repetitive and uninteresting. After one spin down Lanois’ dark desert highway with the cool wind in your hair, you might not feel compelled to make a return trip for quite some time.
