Eilen Jewell
Album: Sundown Over Ghost Town
Label: Signature Sounds
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.eilenjewell.com

Though already six studio albums and one live set into her career, this erstwhile Boston-based singer-songwriter still inhabits the country of country, celebrating her roots through a new, increasingly reflective collection of songs.

Only a short time ago, Eilen released a tribute to one of her key inspirations, Loretta Lynn, and it's easy to spot that lineage on the majority of the songs that make up Sundown Over Ghost Town. That's not say they're derivative of course, and songs like Needle And Thread, Worried Mind, My Hometown and Pagescan easily hold their own outwith any such associations.

Having said that, Eilen's doubly fortunate in that her distinctive, reassuring singing voice receives its ideal foil in the musical arrangements, a key element of which is the electric guitar (and mandolin) playing of Jerry Miller (the backing crew is completed by Steve Fulton, Jason Beek and Johnny Sciascia, while Jake Hoffmann, Jack Gardner and Mavis Beek also contribute).

There's also quite a variety of approaches here, and the disc moves from grimy country (Hallelujah Band) to spiky mariachi (Rio Grande) via the fetching tale of Half Broke Horse, the environment-conscious commentary Green Hills and the sultry swampy Down The Road, finally coming to rest on a pair of masterpieces, the late-night-barroom mood of Here With Me and the soft, delicate Songbird. Without a single weak track, this collection may well come to be judged one of Eilen's finest half-hours.

David Kidman