Loose
When quirky folk songstress Williams emerged from her falling out with Geffen Records, she laid down this deft and stirring album with little guys Mammoth. The transition didn't hurt a bit. Enlisting the help of friends like Dave Pirner and Mike Mills, Williams produced this jittery, sometimes downright loopy, batch of songs.Loosemay not stand among her crowning accomplishments, but tracks like the bluesy "You R Loved" and the quasiretro "Polish Those Shoes" may wind up in her greatest hits repertoire. If the album feels a bit self-indulgent, that's only because Williams knows where to find her most compelling material.--Nick Heil