The darkest, most understated record to date, is also the singer's most intimate effort, largely rejecting the quirky character studies of prior outings in favor of more plainly personal narratives, and revealing new shades of depth and honesty in the process. Co-producers and cloak 's songs in dusky atmospherics which underscore the music's spare beauty -- far removed from the crackling pop flavor of the preceding or even the shimmering folk of , possesses a hushed gravity which insinuates itself only over repeated listens. At times the results are overly ponderous, but a handful of tracks -- the opening included -- rank among 's finest. ~ Jason Ankeny