It's been a long five years between releases, but Kim Richey has clearly spent the time wisely, perfecting these 10 new songs. She clearly enjoys working with different cowriters, since eight tunesmiths--including such contemporaries as Joan Osborne and Mindy Smith--collaborate with her on this superb set. Producer Giles Martin (George's son, producer of the Beatles'Love) injects a somewhat more pop-oriented approach that works wonderfully with this introspective and intricately crafted material. "Jack and Jill" colors in the missing backstory of the children's ditty with sumptuous yet frilly harpsichord, flute, kazoo, and whistling. The title track recalls a snappy Suzanne Vega, adding multi-instrumentalist Billy Mowbray's sax, mellotron, and vibes, while "Not a Love Like This," the Osborne co-write, brings reverbed guitar and a bit of retro to arguably the album's finest and most robust melody. "Pretty Picture," the only tune composed solely by the singer, is a tender, intimate love ballad sung with heartbreaking sensitivity.  Richey is in sparkling voice throughout, sounding inspired by her band, the production, and especially the magnificent tunes. The laid-back, layered sound on "Another Day" and the sprightly "I Will Follow" perfectly capture the nuances of their lyrics with subtlety and class, two aspects of the singer's style that have never been compromised. There's not a weak track here, and the sharp sequencing makes this an album that ebbs and flows with Kim Richey's richly articulated vision.--Hal Horowitz