18 Again Anthology
On this anthology of 18 tracks from Amy Rigby's three solo albums, the  musical reach is almost as impressive as the lyrical precision. LikeLoudon Wainwright IIIandRandy Newman(neither of  whom she otherwise sounds like), Rigby writes heartbreakingly humorous material  that is occasionally mistaken for novelty fare, as she refuses to romanticize  romance yet isn't quite ready to relinquish all the illusions of love, youth,  and rock & roll. A former member of the country-rocking Last Roundup and the  poppier Shams, she combines resilience, poignancy, and a switchblade wit in  musical settings that range from theByrds-ian jangle of   "All I Want" to the Brazilian lilt of "Keep It to Yourself" (one of the  collection's two previously unreleased recordings) to the retro country of "Beer  & Kisses" (a duet withJohn  Wesley Harding) and "We're Stronger Than That" to the majestic melodiousness  of "Time for Me to Come Down" and "The Summer of My Wasted Youth." On that last  number, she sings of listening to Patsy Cline and Skeeter Davis after dropping  LSD--the sort of experience that might inspire the pointedly skewed song craft  found on this collection.--Don McLeese