Fox Confessor Brings the Flood [Digipak] (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Neko Case (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, dulcimer, tambourine, background vocals); Kelly Hogan (vocals, background vocals); Paul Rigby (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, loops); Travis Good (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Joey Burns (acoustic guitar, nylon-string guitar, cello, bass instrument, upright bass); Dallas Good (electric guitar, 12-string guitar); Howe Gelb (electric guitar, piano); Dexter Romweber, Travis , Brian Connelly (electric guitar); Jon Rauhouse (Hawaiian steel guitar, banjo); Anna DeWolf (violin); Garth Hudson (piano, organ); Tom V. Ray (upright bass, bass guitar); Tom Ray, Sean Dean (upright bass); John Convertino, Willie B, Mike Belitsky (drums); Rachel Flotard (background vocals).

Issued more than three years after Neko Case's BLACKLISTED, 2006's FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE FLOOD finds the alt-country chanteuse finally unveiling a new full-length studio album. During the preceding years, Case built a sizeable following both on her own and with the New Pornographers, making this record one of the most anticipated releases of early '06.

On this assured and inventive outing, Case does not disappoint, as she revisits the haunting atmosphere of earlier offerings, but also broadens her sound. Incorporating elements of country, early rock & roll, and moody film scores, Case creates a fascinatingly anachronistic aesthetic, evoking some enigmatic lost era with songs such as the lilting "Star Witness," the soulful "John Saw That Number," and the ominously orchestral "Dirty Knife." While Case--with her bold, sensual, and dynamic voice--is clearly the main attraction of FOX CONFESSOR, the record also features an impressive supporting cast, including the Band's Garth Hudson (piano, organ), Giant Sand's Howe Gelb (guitar, piano), and members of Calexico and the Sadies. For longtime Case fans, the album will only increase adulation, while those unfamiliar with this unique performer will likely discover a favorite new artist.

Neko Case hasn't had much need to prove her credentials as a major artist since making her solo debut with 1997's The Virginian, but she's been refining her skills in the recording studio on each subsequent release, and with 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood she's fashioned an album that can cautiously be called a masterpiece. As always, Case's voice, an instrument of impressive strength, grace, and expressive power, is the star of this show, and she's never sounded better than she does here, but what sets this apart from her other fine work is her growth as a songwriter and producer. Case wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and her tales of failed friendship, faith stretched to the breaking point, and love that causes as much ache as comfort are subtle and expressionistic but deeply evocative, conjuring images and feelings that linger long after the album has ended, especially the spectral "Star Witness," the moody yet romantic "That Teenage Feeling" and "Hold on, Hold On," and the darkly beautiful closer, "The Needle Has Landed." And Case and her co-producer, Darryl Neudorf, have assembled a superb cast of musicians to accompany these songs, among them members of the Sadies and Calexico as well as Garth Hudson of the Band, Howe Gelb from Giant Sand, and Kelly Hogan. Together they've sculpted a dozen elegant sonic landscapes that are beautiful and richly detailed while meshing with the moody textures of the songs in their open space and unwillingness to crowd either the singer or the other players. The cumulative effect mirrors both the beauty and the sadness that lurks within the human heart, and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is a rich, mature, and deeply satisfying piece of music that deserves and demands attention -- if this isn't Album of the Year material, it's hard to say what is. ~ Mark Deming minimize