Death Folk Country

isn't an entirely accurate description of the sound of 's second solo album, but if that phrase sounds intriguing to you, chances are excellent it's something you'll want to hear. The dark and forbidding sound of 's music on this LP is artful but spare, built from bass, keyboards, deep strings, spectral percussion, and faint acoustic guitar, and there isn't much in the way of a twang. That said, much in the way could cast ancient murder ballads in arrangements that gave them a new context while holding on to their power, writes songs with one foot in folk traditions with their contemplation of sinister forces at work in everyday lives, and she sings them with a force that's not theatrical but brings forth the foreboding with a unsettling efficiency. (On tracks like "Midnight Boy" and "Hell in My Water," the blues plays a more recognizable role in this music, as if the ghost of was looking on during the sessions.) is best known as the lead singer of the doom metal band , and the baleful feel of these songs bears certain kinship to her work with the group, but without the overpowering report of the electric guitars, allows her to explore the nuances of these melodies and the subtleties of this approach flatter her. Although the tone of this music is gentle, a careful listen to the lyrics confirms this is every bit as bitter as her louder work, with the poetic sensibility of her verses reinforcing the power of her imagery. Is it folk or country? Not quite either, but is a rich, evocative album that confirms 's talent functions just as well when the music whispers rather than howls. ~ Mark Deming