Stepping away from , teams up with producer for her 2015 solo debut, . previously worked with on , an album where musicians added new music to lyrics left behind during , and she also appeared in a concert he shepherded for the brothers' folk revival opus -- two projects steeped in history, as is . Here, expands upon the neo-string band of by crafting an abbreviated and fluid history of 20th century roots music -- along with the older forms that informed it -- concentrating on songs either written or popularized by female musicians. As a torchbearer, not a revivalist, isn't concerned with replicating either the sound or feel of the past, so she comfortably slips a subdued hip-hop drum loop into "Black Is the Color," a standard here credited to , and blurs country and soul boundaries on 's "She's Got You." These two are the most overt tamperings with tradition but is sly throughout , giving 's "Shake Sugaree" a deceptively lively little lilt and casting 's "Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind" as a rolling progressive folk tune that creates an invisible bridge between past and present. Much of ' work on demonstrates the benefits of such careful, deliberate sculpting, making it a nice fit for 's handsome acoustica. Thankfully, the austereness that sometimes creeps into 's new millennial work is nowhere to be found; there's a warmth that radiates from , which is crucial to the success of the record. Her easy, welcoming touch is a balm every time is played, but it's upon successive spins that the intricacies of ' construction -- not to mention her subtle political messages -- begin to take hold. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine