Strangest Places
Once part of Hawai‘i's eclectic folk-pop troupe, Poi Dog Pondering, Abra Moore reinvents herself as an Austin-based electric folk rocker with a sultry, smart vocal attack and a clutch of equally attractive songs.  Her 1997 debut,Strangest Places, displays Moore's skill at crafting hooky, melodic rockers like the jangling "Four Leaf Clover" and the jaunty "Don't Feel Like Cryin'," propelled by producer Mitch Watkins' muscular guitars and earthy keyboards. Moore downshifts effectively into the set's gentler ballads, but she's at her most satisfying on the spirited uptempo tracks that thankfully dominate here.--Sam Sutherland