West Was Burning
With a delicate trill that occasionally recalls Iris DeMent's, the former singer for the Reeltime Travelers (who appeared on theCold Mountainsoundtrack and tour) teams with producer/multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell for an impressive solo debut.  With stellar support from musicians including father and daughter Levon and Amy Helm (from the Band and Ollabelle, respectively), Martha Scanlan delivers songs that combine deep roots, striking imagery, and spiritual transcendence.  With its electric-guitar propulsion, her call-and-response rendition of James Cleveland's "Get Right Church" evokes the Staple Singers, while steel guitar and piano frame the classic country balladry of "I Don't Even Have to Ask."  Her breathy understated reading renews Bob Dylan's "Went to See the Gypsy," with the bluesy "Walkin'" suggesting another dimension to her musical range. The results are more visionary than anachronistic.--Don McLeese