Neko Case | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Singer/songwriter Neko Case won a large and loyal audience for her smoky, sophisticated vocals and the downcast beauty of her music. A fiercely independent creative mind who left home when she was 15, Case cut her musical teeth playing in punk rock bands in the Pacific Northwest, but her career began in earnest while she was studying art in Vancouver in the 90s. She played with the band Maow and the Weasles, and then launched a country-influenced solo project with her backing band the Boyfriends. The debut album from Neko Case & Her Boyfriends, The Virginian, arrived in 1997, followed by 2000s Furnace Room Lullaby. Released in 2002, the critically celebrated Blacklisted found her dipping into more atmospheric and personal musical territory with less obvious country influences. While dividing her time between her solo career and working with the New Pornographers and the Corn Sisters, Case was starting to approach mainstream recognition, and she signed to the respected indie label Anti- Records, who issued 2006s ambitious indie rock exercise Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. After a pair of well-crafted solo efforts, Case took time out to record a collaborative album with k.d. lang and Laura Veirs that was released in 2016, but she returned as a headliner with 2018s Hell-On. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Case moved around often as a child, spending the largest part of her youth in Tacoma, Washington. She left her parents at age 15, and three years later she started playing drums for several bands on the Northwests punk rock scene. Case moved to Vancouver in 1994 to enter art school, and simultaneously joined the punk group Maow, which released a record on the Mint label. She also played with roots rockers the Weasles and eventually formed her own backing band, the Boyfriends, which initially featured alumni of the Softies, Zumpano, and Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Case released her solo debut, The Virginian, in 1997, delving wholeheartedly into traditional country via a mix of covers and originals. She went on to perform with Carolyn Mark in the old-timey side project the Corn Sisters and began a long-running affiliation with the Vancouver indie supergroup the New Pornographers. Case completed her studies in 1998, and with her student visa expired, she returned to Washington and began work on her second solo album. The lovely, melancholy Furnace Room Lullaby was released on Bloodshot Records in 2000 and won high praise for its dark compositions, all of which were written or co-written by Case. Case subsequently relocated to Chicago, home of a thriving alt-country scene, and released the home-recorded Canadian Amp EP in 2001. Its moody, late-night ambience carried over to 2002s Blacklisted, a darker yet more eclectic affair. Blacklisted garnered Case her strongest reviews yet, making many year-end critics polls and landing her a tour slot opening for Nick Cave. In 2004, Case signed with Anti Records in the United States and released a live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, which was recorded during several dates with Canadian surf-country band the Sadies. She then returned to the studio to work on another studio album, a move that required her to take a break from the New Pornographers (with whom she had recorded and intermittently toured with since the bands inception). Fox Confessor Brings the Flood followed in 2006 and fared moderately well on the Billboard charts, peaking at number 54 and introducing a wider audience to Cases dark, country-noir style. The concert recording Live from Austin, TX was released one year later, capturing a 2003 performance for Austin City Limits, and Case contributed vocals to the New Pornographers Challengers before returning to her adopted hometown of Tucson, Arizona. Recording sessions for a new album took place in that home environment, as well as Brooklyn, Toronto, and Cases newly purchased farm in Vermont (where songs were tracked in a barn). The resulting album, Middle Cyclone, was released several months later in March 2009. The year 2010 saw the release of Together, the New Pornographers fifth long-player, followed by Cases fifth solo outing, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, in 2013. In 2015, Case took a look back at her solo career to date with the box set Truckdriver Gladiator Mule, which collected all her solo releases from 1997 to 2013. In 2016, Case released a collaborative project with fellow Canadian country-pop vocalist k.d. lang and celebrated singer and songwriter Laura Veirs. Titled case/lang/veirs, the album featured material written together by the trio; the singers joined forces for a joint concert tour in support of the release. In 2018, Case released her first solo album in five years, Hell-On, which she also produced. Her case/lang/veirs colleagues Laura Veirs and k.d. lang made guest appearances on the album, as well as Beth Ditto, Kelly Hogan, Mark Lanegan, Joey Burns, and John Convertino. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 9 Title: Canadian Amp Released: 2001 Tracks: 8 Duration: 23:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Andy (01:40) 2 Dreaming Man (03:46) 3 Knock Loud (03:07) 4 Make Your Bed (03:15) 5 Poor Ellen Smith (02:17) 6 In California (03:29) 7 Alone and Forsaken (02:42) 8 Favorite (03:17) |
 | Album: 2 of 9 Title: Blacklisted Released: 2002-08-20 Tracks: 14 Duration: 39:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Things That Scare Me (02:30) 2 Deep Red Bells (04:03) 3 Outro With Bees (01:35) 4 Lady Pilot (02:26) 5 Tightly (02:16) 6 Look for Me (I’ll Be Around) (03:21) 7 Stinging Velvet (02:55) 8 Pretty Girls (03:25) 9 I Missed the Point (01:52) 10 Blacklisted (02:22) 11 I Wish I Was the Moon (03:34) 12 Runnin’ Out of Fools (03:05) 13 Ghost Wiring (03:54) 14 Outro With Bees (reprise) (02:24) |
| Blacklisted : Allmusic album Review : While the spare and often haunted sound of Neko Cases home-recorded Canadian Amp EP seemed at the time like a late-night detour from alt-countrys leading songbird of the North, listening to Cases first full-length album following Canadian Amp suggests it may have been the first step along a new and different path for her. Blacklisted is a considerably darker and more understated affair than The Virginian or Furnace Room Lullaby, and its sometimes stark, sometimes elegant 3 a.m. sound is informed as much by pop, jazz, and blues flavors as the country & western-slanted melodies of her first two solo albums. Which isnt to say Blacklisted is a total departure for Neko Case; her big, bold, but silky smooth voice is still a thing of beauty, and if anything, shes still learning more remarkable things she can do with it, with the result being some of her finest and most insightful performances to date. And Case continues to grow as a songwriter; penning most of the album all by herself, Case is a lyricist willing to answer to both her heart and her head, and she had a fine ear for a melody to boot. With Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico, Howe Gelb of Giant Sand, Dallas Good of the Sadies, and Kelly Hogan all contributing to Blacklisted, Neko Case has crafted an album whose quiet drift only adds to its power; its hard to say if hanging out with Nick Cave on tour had much of an influence on her, but this disc sounds a bit like Cases version of The Boatmans Call, a personal exploration of the heart and soul that proves sad and beautiful can often walk hand in hand. Highly recommended. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 9 Title: The Tigers Have Spoken Released: 2004-11-04 Tracks: 12 Duration: 34:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 If You Knew (02:30) 2 Soulful Shade of Blue (02:33) 3 Hex (04:59) 4 The Train From Kansas City (03:25) 5 The Tigers Have Spoken (02:41) 6 Blacklisted (02:11) 7 Loretta (02:09) 8 Favorite (03:36) 9 Rated X (02:49) 10 This Little Light (03:00) 11 Wayfaring Stranger (03:16) 12 Tigers Are Noble (01:07) |
| The Tigers Have Spoken : Allmusic album Review : In the press release that accompanies Neko Cases 2004 live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, the singer (and her record company) insist quite strongly that this isnt meant to be a stopgap release on the way to her next studio project. To be blunt, Case protests a bit much on this issue -- an album featuring two re-recorded originals and five covers out of 11 tracks is carrying an awful lot of padding for something intended to be a proper "new" release. But if The Tigers Have Spoken is really intended to keep fans occupied until Case finishes her next project, she thankfully hasnt abandoned her standards of quality control along the way, and delivers some splendid music on this disc. Recorded over the course of three gigs in the spring of 2004, The Tigers Have Spoken features Case backed by the Sadies, whose web of deep, lonesome twang fits Cases repertoire like a glove, with Jon Rauhouse sitting in on pedal steel with his usual grace and flawless feel, and Kelly Hogan and Carolyn Mark contributing backing vocals that are little short of glorious. But the reason Neko Case is headlining over this stellar cast is because she has one of the finest voices to emerge from pop music in recent memory, and shes in firm command of her instrument on these performances. Allowing herself more room to rock than on 2002s Blacklisted, Case rips it up on covers of classic tunes by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Loretta Lynn, and the Shangri-Las, and "The Tigers Have Spoken" and "Hex" show Case isnt saving all her good new songs for the next album. Maybe Case is biding her time with The Tigers Have Spoken, but she sure isnt wasting it -- if its a relatively minor effort, it still sounds like the work of a major artist, and theres lots of pleasure to be found in it. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 9 Title: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood Released: 2006-03-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 35:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Margaret vs. Pauline (02:52) 2 Star Witness (05:16) 3 Hold On, Hold On (02:46) 4 A Widow’s Toast (01:36) 5 That Teenage Feeling (02:42) 6 Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (02:42) 7 John Saw That Number (04:06) 8 Dirty Knife (03:18) 9 Lion’s Jaws (02:28) 10 Maybe Sparrow (02:37) 11 At Last (01:35) 12 The Needle Has Landed (03:45) |
| Fox Confessor Brings the Flood : Allmusic album Review : Neko Case hasnt had much need to prove her credentials as a major artist since making her solo debut with 1997s The Virginian, but shes been refining her skills in the recording studio on each subsequent release, and with 2006s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood shes fashioned an album that can cautiously be called a masterpiece. As always, Cases voice, an instrument of impressive strength, grace, and expressive power, is the star of this show, and shes never sounded better than she does here, but what sets this apart from her other fine work is her growth as a songwriter and producer. Case wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and her tales of failed friendship, faith stretched to the breaking point, and love that causes as much ache as comfort are subtle and expressionistic but deeply evocative, conjuring images and feelings that linger long after the album has ended, especially the spectral "Star Witness," the moody yet romantic "That Teenage Feeling" and "Hold on, Hold On," and the darkly beautiful closer, "The Needle Has Landed." And Case and her co-producer, Darryl Neudorf, have assembled a superb cast of musicians to accompany these songs, among them members of the Sadies and Calexico as well as Garth Hudson of the Band, Howe Gelb from Giant Sand, and Kelly Hogan. Together theyve sculpted a dozen elegant sonic landscapes that are beautiful and richly detailed while meshing with the moody textures of the songs in their open space and unwillingness to crowd either the singer or the other players. The cumulative effect mirrors both the beauty and the sadness that lurks within the human heart, and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is a rich, mature, and deeply satisfying piece of music that deserves and demands attention -- if this isnt Album of the Year material, its hard to say what is. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 9 Title: Live From Austin TX Released: 2007-01-09 Tracks: 14 Duration: 42:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Favorite (03:29) 2 Outro With Bees (01:24) 3 Behind the House (03:02) 4 Ghost Wiring (02:42) 5 Deep Red Bells (03:45) 6 Knock Loud (02:17) 7 Hex (04:46) 8 Maybe Sparrow (02:40) 9 Wayfaring Stranger (03:00) 10 Furnace Room Lullaby (02:54) 11 In California (03:20) 12 Buckets of Rain (02:48) 13 Look for Me (I’ll Be Around) (03:25) 14 Alone and Forsaken (03:04) |
| Live From Austin TX : Allmusic album Review : Following the release of her third album Blacklisted, Neko Cases reputation was beginning to expand beyond the boundaries of the alt-country community when she appeared on the celebrated roots music television showcase Austin City Limits, and Live from Austin, TX preserves the full 14-song set Case played for ACLs studio audience on August 9, 2003. Cases accompaniment is simple and spare on this set -- Jon Rauhouse on guitar, banjo and pedal steel, Tom V. Ray on bass and Kelly Hogan on vocal harmonies -- but Cases warm, rich voice is big enough to fill the room all by itself, and her partners provide just the right accents for the sad but resonant songs that dominate this performance. Perhaps Cases greatest virtue is her ability to sing with strength and authority without sounding histrionic, and that gift dominates this album; listen to her take on "Deep Red Bells" and youll notice that while she gives a passionate performance thats deeply emotional and physically expressive, she has an intuitive sense of when to go full out and when to ease back, and the dynamics of the number are gorgeous, especially with just Rauhouses banjo and Rays bass filling out the arrangement. Live from Austin, TX is less ambitious than Cases 2004 live effort The Tigers Have Spoken, in terms of both accompaniment and material, but theres a simplicity and cohesion to this set thats beautiful and satisfying, and anyone who has been impressed with the artistry of her studio work (especially 2006s brilliant Fox Confessor Brings the Flood) will want to hear this concert in which her voice is given free reign. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 9 Title: Middle Cyclone Released: 2009-02-28 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:13:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 This Tornado Loves You (03:20) 2 The Next Time You Say Forever (01:46) 3 People Got a Lotta Nerve (02:33) 4 Polar Nettles (02:26) 5 Vengeance Is Sleeping (03:22) 6 Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth (02:14) 7 Middle Cyclone (03:05) 8 Fever (03:18) 9 Magpie to the Morning (02:44) 10 I’m an Animal (02:21) 11 Prison Girls (05:25) 12 Don’t Forget Me (03:09) 13 The Pharaohs (03:37) 14 Red Tide (02:53) 15 Marais la nuit (31:39) |
| Middle Cyclone : Allmusic album Review : Neko Case looks formidable on the cover of Middle Cyclone, brandishing a sword in one hand while crouching low on the hood of a muscle car. Its mostly camp, of course -- the sort of superwoman image that Quentin Tarantino might have used for Death Proofs ad campaign -- but it also draws contrast with Cases past albums, two of which featured moody shots of the songwriter sprawled on the floor, ostensibly knocked out. Middle Cyclone isnt the polar opposite of Blacklisteds downcast Americana; there are still moments of heartbreak on this release, and Case channels the sad cowgirl blues with all the nuance of Patsy Cline. Multiple years in the New Pornographers lineup have brightened her outlook, though, and Middle Cyclone balances its melancholia with some of the most pop-influenced choruses of Cases career. "Im a man-man-maneater," she sings on "People Got a Lotta Nerve," a snappy gem of vocal harmonies and jangled guitars. The mammal metaphors continue with "Im an Animal," where a coed choir hums a wordless, hooky refrain. These songs are still filled with earth tones -- they may even pitch their tent closer to the folk camp than Carl Newmans power pop -- but their venture into brighter territory is a confident one. Of course, Neko Case already explored the animal world with 2006s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and Middle Cyclone devotes more time to weather, nature, and the stormy atmospherics provided by her backup band. There are few voices as haunting as Cases alto, and she flaunts her vocal chops over a number of semi-ballads, from the cinematic "Prison Girls" (a country-noir love letter to someone with "long shadows and gunpowder eyes") to the sparse title track. She does a surprise duet with chirping birds during "Polar Nettles" -- a result of the pastoral recording sessions, which took place in a barn -- before tackling a cover of Sparks "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth," whose title very well may be the albums mission statement. Theres still room to tackle love from the perspective of different characters -- a man in "Vengeance Is Sleeping," a disbeliever in "The Next Time You Say Forever," a smitten wind vortex in "This Tornado Loves You" -- but nature remains at the forefront of Middle Cyclone, whose 14 songs conclude with a half-hour field recording of noisy crickets and frogs. Moody and engaging throughout, Cyclone is another tour de force from Neko Case, if not as immediately arresting as Fox Confessor. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 9 Title: The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You Released: 2013-08-30 Tracks: 15 Duration: 46:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wild Creatures (02:39) 2 Night Still Comes (03:47) 3 Man (03:31) 4 I’m From Nowhere (03:01) 5 Bracing For Sunday (02:18) 6 Nearly Midnight, Honolulu (02:37) 7 Calling Cards (02:36) 8 City Swans (04:08) 9 Afraid (02:20) 10 Local Girl (02:36) 11 Where Did I Leave That Fire (03:27) 12 Ragtime (05:16) 13 Madonna of the Wasps (03:47) 14 Magpie to the Morning (02:58) 15 Yon Ferrets Return (01:16) |
| The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You : Allmusic album Review : The cover photo for 2009s Middle Cyclone found indie rock civil defense siren Neko Case warning the masses of potentially deadly weather from atop the hood of a 1967 Mercury Cougar. It was a striking image, and one that perfectly captured both the albums quiet might and her distinctive Patsy Cline-meets-Rosie the Riveter allure. Once again barefoot and wielding a samurai sword, Case squares off against a trio of serpents on the front jacket of 2013s like-minded, yet decidedly more adventurous The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, a 12-track horn of plenty that taunts, comforts, bruises, and empowers, and like all of her previous offerings, rewards repeated spins with a multitude of riches. Her most vulnerable and permeable collection of songs to date, its not quite Neko Case unchained, but its certainly as emotionally raw as it is willfully enigmatic, especially on quieter numbers like "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu," "Im from Nowhere," and an airy, evocative cover of Nicos "Afraid," all three of which benefit from the barest of arrangements. That said, when Case decides to go big, she doesn’t skimp on the trimmings (guest spots are populated by the likes of M. Ward, Howe Gelb, Mudhoneys Steve Turner, and members of Calexico, Los Lobos, My Morning Jacket, Visqueen, and of course, the New Pornographers and longtime shadow Kelly Hogan), but her version of opulence is mired in great taste, which affords superb, midtempo offerings like "Night Still Comes, "Ragtime," and "Local Girl," straight-up dirt road rockers such as "City Swans," and the punk-infused, delightfully subversive single "Man" ("Im a man, thats what you raised me to be/ Im not your identity crisis/This was planned") the room they need to flex their considerable muscle while maintaining an air of warm, almost casual bombast that invokes names like Sandy Denny and Dusty Springfield. Its some of her most instantly gratifying work as well, perfectly encapsulating all of her personas, from the erudite, whiskey-shooting provocateur to the sweet and soulful, small town crooner who sounds like she was plucked from the pages of a novel set in the antebellum north. Case has proven time and again that she has the songwriting chops to match her earthy, superlative voice, but never with such authority. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 9 Title: case/lang/veirs Released: 2016-06-14 Tracks: 14 Duration: 43:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Atomic Number (02:58) 2 Honey and Smoke (03:03) 3 Song for Judee (03:12) 4 Blue Fires (02:57) 5 Delirium (02:46) 6 Greens of June (04:13) 7 Behind the Armory (02:20) 8 Best Kept Secret (03:17) 9 1,000 Miles Away (02:57) 10 Supermoon (03:48) 11 I Want to Be Here (02:47) 12 Down I-5 (03:02) 13 Why Do We Fight (02:35) 14 Georgia Stars (03:18) |
| case/lang/veirs : Allmusic album Review : When artists of note collaborate on a project, the greatest obstacle is usually balance. The participants may truly respect one another, but as talent, ego, and personality enter the picture, someone is inevitably going to dominate the proceedings, and someone else will end up in the shadows. Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs seem keenly aware of this on the album case/lang/veirs, an album of songs the three singers and songwriters wrote and recorded between 2013 and 2015. And these songs often suggest a conscious effort to make sure everyone gets her share of the spotlight and that everyones strengths are put to good use. Oddly enough, one of the consequences of this is that k.d. lang, the strongest vocalist here, doesnt get as much time at center stage as one might expect, and ultimately she makes less of an impression than her partners. One could argue that lang potentially has the most to lose in this project; while Case and Veirs have healthy followings, lang is the genuine star here, but she hasnt made an album thats been as celebrated as her reputation in some time. While this project could have given lang a chance to step out of her comfort zone and try something new, here shes content to stick to atmospheric midtempo numbers that fit her skill set beautifully, but offer little in the way of surprises (beyond the irritating fake woodwinds on "1000 Miles Away"). However, Case and Veirs give her a chance to sing harmonies with vocalists who approach her own level of skill for a change, an opportunity she seems to relish, and here Case sounds most like the albums MVP. Cases cool, introspective indie rock approach dominates the albums melodies and production, her lead vocals are both naturalistic and dramatically effective, and she harmonizes beautifully with lang and Veirs. And Veirs ends up shining unexpectedly bright on case/lang/veirs; the sweet, homey modesty of her vocal approach is a pleasing complement to the more dramatic stylings of Case and lang, and she contributes a gorgeous uptempo pop tune to the set, "Best Kept Secret," as well as an affecting homage to Judee Sill. As much as case/lang/veirs strives to be an album that brings together three truly important artists, what it does best is broker a worthy compromise between their individual gifts and musical identities. While case/lang/veirs doesnt approach the greatness these women have managed on their own albums, it does offer more than a few beautiful moments they could not have achieved on their own. The result is a fascinating, rewarding experiment that deserves to be repeated. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 9 Title: Hell‐On Released: 2018-06-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 52:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hell‐On (04:09) 2 Last Lion of Albion (03:38) 3 Halls of Sarah (03:50) 4 Bad Luck (03:54) 5 Curse of the I‐5 Corridor (07:01) 6 Gumball Blue (04:14) 7 Dirty Diamond (03:39) 8 Oracle of the Maritimes (04:24) 9 Winnie (03:50) 10 Sleep All Summer (05:04) 11 My Uncle’s Navy (04:12) 12 Pitch or Honey (04:27) |
| Hell‐On : Allmusic album Review : Neko Case is an artist incapable of sounding like anyone other than Neko Case. Shes certainly not adverse to collaborating with artists she respects; shes been a long-time participant in the New Pornographers, and has contributed her estimable vocal talents to albums by Calexico, John Doe, Kelly Hogan, and Giant Sand, among others. But on 2016s case/lang/veirs, an album she recorded in tandem with k.d. lang and Laura Veirs, Case found herself working as an equal with two creative peers for the first time, and while her work on the album was strong, it was an example of the whole not being all youd expect from the sum of the parts. Its impossible to say if the experience informed Case as she recorded 2018s Hell-On (and since lang and Veirs both make guest appearances, their relationship is apparently cordial), but the album finds Case firmly taking the reins and seemingly relishing the experience. Case produced Hell-On (Bjorn Yttling co-produced five tracks) and co-wrote all 12 tunes (except for Eric Bachmans "Sleep All Summer"), and the rich, deeply atmospheric sound of this music has her personality written all over it. Case has a voice thats warm and engaging but speaks from a position of strength, and her instrument dominates Hell-On, expressive and emotional but never histrionic. The arrangements are beautifully detailed, with layers of guitars and keys giving the melodies full-bodied support without sounding cluttered or intruding on Cases spotlight. Even when Case shares lead vocals with Mark Lanegan on "Curse of the I-5 Corridor" and Bachman on "Sleep All Summer," she meshes beautifully but cedes nothing, and Hell-On is a superb example of an artist who can shine bright while giving others room to do their best work. And if Cases lyrics are often enigmatic, they also feel revealing and personal, from the bittersweet nostalgia of "Curse of the I-5 Corridor" and the troubled memories of "My Uncles Navy" to the playful cynicism of "Bad Luck" and the celebration of strong and empathetic women in "Winnie" and the title cut. With Hell-On, Case has once again given herself an ideal showcase for her talents as a vocalist, songwriter, and producer; its lush but intimate, and one of the strongest and most satisfying records shes delivered to date. Which, given her catalog, says a great deal. | ||