By the Time It Gets Dark
While other of her albums spanning the mid '80s to the middle  of the following decade are marred by cheesy or tinny-sounding  overproduction and a breakaway from the acoustic-based accompaniment  that suits her most truthfully,By the Time It Gets DarkpresentsMary Black, folk  vocal stylist, at her best. Less dark thanSandy Denny, less  twee thanNanci  Griffith, yet coming from a similar tradition and approach, Black's  vocals are warm, earthy, and expressive. Her live version of "Moon  River" is sweet, pure, and sublimely lovely. And she's near about  perfect on such well-chosen gems asRichard Thompson's  "Farewell, Farewell" or (more popularly rendered by Griffith) "Once in  a Very Blue Moon."By the Time It Gets Darkis thereby the most  logical and pleasant step toward Black's more recent work of the new  millennium.--Paige La Grone