New Non-Fiction
On her fifth album, Werner spills out trademark jazzy vocal stylings,  pleasant acoustic ballads, a fewBangles-esque rockers,  and plenty of word-riffing. This time around, however, she runs a bit short on  memorable material. "Barbed Wire Boys" may be her best song about her native  Midwest, and the conversation with dueling angels in "Misery & Happiness" has a  clever charm. More typical though is the personal-ad whining of "All of the  Above" or the pining for a big car in, yes, "Big Car." In these songs, the  pronoun "you" runs amok, "only love can live forever after," and spiritual hope  seems as thin and predictable as chicken soup for the soul. Werner may think  dark days are redeemed by cloying images like stars, smiles, and a baby's hands,  but wordiness without fresh ideas or real emotions isn't.--Roy Kasten