Blacklisted (CD - 2002)

Personnel: Neko Case (vocals, acoustic & eletric guitars, piano, drums, tambourine, percussion, saw); Joey Burns (acoustic & electric guitars, cello, accordion, organ, vibraphone, acoustic & electric basses); Dallas Good (acoustic, electric & 12-string guitars); Jon Rauhouse (pedal steel guitar, Hawaiian steel guitar, banjo); Brian Connelly (baritone guitar); Howe Gelb (piano, Wurlitzer piano, organ); Tom V. Ray (upright bass); John Convertino (drums); Kelly Hogan, Mary Margaret O'Hara (background vocals).

Producers: Neko Case, Darryl Neudorf, Craig Schumacher.

Recorded at Wavelab, Tucson, Arizona and Prarie Sun Studios, Cotati, California between January 2001 and February 2002.

More subdued than its predecessor (FURNACE ROOM LULLABY), Neko Case's 2002 album, BLACKLISTED, is the singer/songwriter's first outing not co-billed to "Her Boyfriends." Backed by a cadre of intuitive musicians that includes multi-instrumentalist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino (both of Calexico) and their Giant Sand peer Howe Gelb (on various keys), Case offers up a largely down-tempo set that's steeped in a dreamy, noir-like atmosphere. The haunting "Deep Red Bells" masterfully showcases the range of Case's resonant voice, while "Look for Me (I'll Be Around)" evokes the cinematic mood of a vintage black-&-white thriller as narrated from the perspective of the femme fatale. Even BLACKLISTED's most upbeat moments--the soaring "Lady Pilot" and the twangy "Stinging Velvet"--carry a palpable sense of melancholy, resulting in a record that's in line with Nick Cave's dark aesthetic. (In fact, Case would go on to open for Cave on tour, and the two would become label-mates on Anti- with subsequent releases.) Arguably Case's most focused and consistent album, BLACKLISTED is the perfect portal into her gorgeously half-lit world.

While the spare and often haunted sound of Neko Case's home-recorded Canadian Amp EP seemed at the time like a late-night detour from alt-country's leading songbird of the North, listening to Case's first full-length album following Canadian Amp suggests it may have been the first step along a new and different path for her. Blacklisted is a considerably darker and more understated affair than The Virginian or Furnace Room Lullaby, and its sometimes stark, sometimes elegant 3 a.m. sound is informed as much by pop, jazz, and blues flavors as the country & western-slanted melodies of her first two solo albums. Which isn't to say Blacklisted is a total departure for Neko Case; her big, bold, but silky smooth voice is still a thing of beauty, and if anything, she's still learning more remarkable things she can do with it, with the result being some of her finest and most insightful performances to date. And Case continues to grow as a songwriter; penning most of the album all by herself, Case is a lyricist willing to answer to both her heart and her head, and she had a fine ear for a melody to boot. With Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico, Howe Gelb of Giant Sand, Dallas Good of the Sadies, and Kelly Hogan all contributing to Blacklisted, Neko Case has crafted an album whose quiet drift only adds to its power; it's hard to say if hanging out with Nick Cave on tour had much of an influence on her, but this disc sounds a bit like Case's version of The Boatman's Call, a personal exploration of the heart and soul that proves sad and beautiful can often walk hand in hand. Highly recommended. ~ Mark Deming minimize