Sadness is Beautiful

Melancholy. Uplifting. Romantic. Diverse. Captivating. Sexy. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, the new album by Neko Case, falls into all these categories, plus a couple more. She is a master of blending multiple sounds, the end result congering up images of desolation and redemption, struggles and victories. Her songs draw the listener in, convincing them to understand, leaving them no chance of deserting the tales Ms. Case places at the whim of her loom. And making all who listen want to dance.

Fox Confessor maintains the emotion of and builds on her past albums, all of which should belong in your CD collection. Her story-telling through gospel-infused folk and country make the lore of murders and lost loves are engrossing and beautiful. From "Lion's Jaws":

The night I fell into the lion’s jaws
To my regret
And your delight
Those teeth themselves could not divine
Nor their pressure estimate
The haze I wish to never break

I keep thinking my repeated listens of the album will make me grow weary, causing me to file the CD with past musical infatuations. But like all of her albums, they remain assuredly committed and consistently available.

Neko Case kicks off her 2006 spring tour on March 29 at First Avenue in Minneapolis.