has no apparent interest in being an ordinary pop star, and it stands to reason she wouldn't be interested in making an ordinary live album, either. In 2006, she collaborated with artist and filmmaker on a performance piece called Turning, in which created carefully detourned video projections of a handful of women ("beauties," as they were identified by and ) whose difficult life experiences often belied their appearance, while 's band performed a set of their powerfully emotional and atmospheric songs. directed a documentary about the tour, also called Turning, while have released a soundtrack album that documents the London date on the tour. Stripped of its visuals (and even without 's images, watching wring the joy and horror of this music out of herself is powerful stuff), the album seems significantly less ambitious than either the film or the stage show, but the strong palette of human passions is very much the same in these 17 songs, and the performances are extraordinary. has a one-of-a-kind voice, and a near operatic control over her instrument; she doesn't sound much like anyone else in contemporary popular music as she glides from note to note aided by her carefully modulated vibrato, and her ability to make her songs of outcasts and lost souls come to vivid, heartbreaking life is truly remarkable. Just as impressive are , whose arrangements are artful and an ideal match for , while leaving enough aural and emotional breathing room to make the most of the dynamics. In addition, these recordings are pristine, catching the interplay between the singer and the musicians with striking and transparent clarity. In short, without seeing 's film, is simply a live recording of on-stage in London, but thankfully, given their talent and their commitment to their craft, that's more than enough to make this a remarkable experience. ~ Mark Deming