Neko Case

Those of you who have waited for Neko Case to strip it down are in for a true treat (uh, we're talking about her songs, you pervs). Immaculately recorded during her Austin City Limits performance on August 9, 2003, Case is accompanied by guitar, banjo, bass and minimal pedal steel as she gracefully waltzes through songs from her first three albums. Kelly Hoagan's supernal harmonies help make these tunes float skyward, especially on the lilting "Deep Red Bells." Case's sparse sketch of Dylan's "Buckets of Rain" is another haunting highlight.

Case, sometime member of Canadian indie stars the New Pornographers and a country
singer of choice for lots of indie kids, sticks mostly to rootsier stuff on this largely
unplugged live record. Though her big voice commands attention, she could stand to
employ a little more nuance every now and then, and you wish Case wasn't set on so much
slow, swooning material. But classic-sounding cuts like "Look for Me (I'll Be Arou... More >