edro the Lion has been blessed. How so? Let me count the ways. Because Winners Never Quit is a concept album that easily gets its story across to the listener. Because David Bazan, the man behind the sound, weaves his tale with the skill of a master storyteller. Because Bazan is the only person alive who can sing, "If at first you don’t succeed /try, try again" and not sound preachy or cliched.


Let me preface my review with this note: Yes, I’m going to spoil the story by telling what happens.


Winners Never Quit focuses on two brothers: one, a Jesus-loving politician and the other, a drunk. The brothers are introduced to us on the mellow "Slow and Steady Wins the Race." The song tells of an anecdote of the brothers’ childhood that foreshadowed the different paths they would take in life - the politician follows the rules and talks of going to Heaven while the drunk strays and finds himself abandoned. The simple rock beat of "Simple Economics" propels the listener forward to the brothers’ adulthood. The politician is running for office again, but this time he is not favored to win. To achieve victory, the supposedly moralistic politician enters some shady dealings.


The drunk takes over on "To Protect the Family Name," a haunting and minimalistic track. He’s been pulled over by police again, and pleads his case to them by explaining a promise he had made to his brother. "I swore I’d be careful not to / Further shame the family name," he says.


On a "A Mind of Her Own" the story shifts back to the politician. He encounters threats from his wife to expose his immoral political decisions. The confrontation escalates, the pace of the song speeds up, and the urgency of the situation is clear as he repeats, "You put that telephone / You’re not calling anyone." "Never Leave a Job Half Done" finds the politician examining the crime scene after he murders his wife. On "Eye on the Finish Line," the consequences of what he has done sink in as the melody lethargically creeps along. While feeling no guilt for what he has done, he knows "I will be misunderstood" and looks to suicide as his only way out. He concludes, "Soon I will meet her at our mansion in the sky / It’s strange that it should end this way / But martyrs never have a say."


The remaining brother takes over the storytelling on the album’s best song, "Bad Things to Such Good People." A beautiful acoustic track, it sums up the rawness of the situation while the family is at the politician’s funeral. His parents weep because of the shame inflicted on their family and are at a loss as to why the good Lord let this happen. He sums up the irony of the situation by saying, "Their big success is now their biggest failure / Their tower to heaven has come tumbling down." The album closes with the lullaby-esque title track. Here he resolves to change his ways, even though he is alone in thinking he can do so. He shrugs off the doubts of others and concludes, "Count it a blessing / That you’re such a failure / Your second chance might / Never have come."


Clocking in at only 34 minutes, the disc is short enough that the story doesn’t drag on and easily keeps the listener’s attention. What makes Winners Never Quit so successful is the strength of the songs - they’re solid enough to stand on their own, and when put together make Winners Never Quit an essential listen.