For starters, it's hard to believe -- and wonderful to comprehend -- that Nonesuch is doing such a bang-up job in 2006. Their roster is ever expanding from the Black Keys and Pat Metheny to Brad Mehldau and Sam Phillips, from Stephin Merritt to Shawn Colvin -- they are an impossible label to predict, but their track record of late is impeccable. As for Colvin, it's been a while. Other than a video called #Live in Bora Bora, and a greatest-hits collection, she hasn't recorded an album of new material in five years. But it was worth the wait. Working with longtime collaborator John Leventhal (who in addition to being producer is a virtual one-man band, though drummer Shawn Pelton and Rick DePofi help out on percussion and horns, respectively), and Colvin co-wrote almost the entire album with him. There are two covers -- of the Bee Gees Words and Paul Westerberg's Even As We Are -- Colvin wrote I'm Gone on her own. Sonically, you already know what to expect. This is an album drenched in acoustic guitars, some electric ones, gentle keyboards, and poignant songs. Colvin always gets to the meat of the matter in her lyrics. She trims it all back to the bone to see what's there, gleaming and gritty.

1		Fill Me Up
2		These Four Walls
3		Tuff Kid
4		Summer Dress
5		Cinnamon Road
6		Venetian Blue
7		The Bird
8		I'm Gone
9		Let It Slide
10		Even Here We Are
11		So Good to See You
12		That Don't Worry Me Now
13		Words