Jdombrow, I strongly disagree with your assessment unless:
1) You've heard it only on CD, or
2) You've only listened to it once or twice
I would tend to agree with respect to "Blues Beach" which was the initial single released in MP3 on the 'Net. IMHO this was an unfortunate choice because I find it the weakest song on the LP. OTOH, side two starts out with "Greenbook", a solid rocker, and each following song is even better, I am particularly taken by "Lunch With Gina" where guitar riffs are reminiscent of past LP's and the female vocals and harmonies are just outstanding. To my ear, sticky-sweet pop jazz, it ain't. A scan of the lyrics sheet might help dispel that notion, as well. ;-) And, while it has nothing to do with this LP, I doubt that the folks who attended any of the three concerts I went to this summer would agree with the "sticky-sweet" label. Jazz infused, yes, and all the better for it, but they ROCKED the place to the ground in each venue.
But then, there's no accounting for taste in any case - yours or mine. If you bought the LP and don't like it, though, I'll take it! :-)