With 2003's , continue the organic, supremely tasteful first crafted on 1999's . Added to the wood-and-glass aesthetic are occasional traces of ambient synth strings, or a sun-soaked, delirious vibrato guitar. Lyrics of timorous optimism and familial devotion are woven into cascades of upright bass, brushes and tambourine, the tinkling ghost of a piano, and the snowy hollow-body electric guitar of . Primary songwriter ' impeccable sense of melody is carried out by her distinct voice, one of delicate timbre and piercing purity. The mood ranges from the breezy continental of to the stark, tragic poeticism of the minor-keyed ; the yearning, masterful chord changes of to the sorrowfully patriotic love of at the album's resolution. is reprised (technically re-released) from the 2000 devotional collection . As usual, quality and individuality suffuse all angles of this installation to the catalog. ~ Lisa M. Smith