Wake
Soulful singer and classically trained pianist Sheila Nicholls expands her scope with her sophomore release, branching out from the sparseAni DiFranco-like piano-and-guitar arrangements found on her 1999 debut,Brief Stop. The R&B-flavored; "Bread and Water" and "Come to Me" boast sultry trip-hop beats and slinky chords, while "Ruby" is an ebullient character sketch ornamented with bluesy guitar licks and a flamenco flair and "Seven Fat Englishman" has the feel of a campfire folktale. Production assistance is provided by sweeping-ballad Svengali Glen Ballard on five tracks, but Nicholls's dynamism sounds polished and fleshed-out without coming across as sappy. Add to the involving music such insightful turns of phrase as "As the Spice Girls prostitute girl power in the background on tinny speakers, you smile in desperation" and you have an evocative album that provides a new gem with every listen.--Annie Zaleski