Neko Case is a Canada-based country singer who got her start (as a drummer) in music in the rock band Maow. But she'd always wanted to pursue her love of country music - and went after it with a vengeance. Case was not weaned on pop/mainstream country: her voice has the back-country soul of Loretta Lynn (Patty Loveless is a good comparison, too). Her band is in-line with her voice: tight and crisp but with no Nashville gloss or pop-polish, featuring a lean, walloping honky-tonk twang right out of the '60s Buck Owens sound. Though her style is traditional, Case lyrically takes no prisoners - the assertive "Mood To Burn Bridges" tells busy-bodies where to get off, and the smoldering "Twist The Knife" vents - with elegance - her rage at a former lover. "Thrice All American" is a chillingly catchy anthem to/about Takoma, Washington. Those seeking a modern take on roots-oriented country sung by a classic voice, seek out Neko Case.

Track Listing
1. Set Out Running
2. Guided By Wire
3. Porchlight
4. Mood to Burn Bridges
5. No Need To Cry
6. Twist the Knife
7. Thrice All American
8. We've Never Met
9. Whip the Blankets
10. South Tacoma Way
11. Bought and Sold
12. Furnace Room Lullaby