by Vik IyengarAfter getting increased exposure with her exquisite cover album Other Voices, Other Rooms, Nanci Griffith emerged with an album of originals that demonstrated to her new fans that she was more than just an interpreter of songs. She has always been a gifted and versatile songwriter with a knack for stepping inside her characters in story songs, but she writes from a more personal perspective on this album. With the help of high-profile friends from U2, Dire Straits, Indigo Girls, and Counting Crows, she incorporates more rock & roll instrumentation (electric guitar, piano, drums) into her acoustically based music. In fact, many of the highlights of this album involve collaborations. Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) adds his usual tasteful guitar work in "Don't Forget About Me," and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows delivers perhaps his best vocal performance in the playful duet "Going Back to Georgia." As in previous releases, she wrestles with issues of love and loss; however, the songs resonate on a deeper level as she writes from the perspective of someone who has seen and done a lot but still longs to connect souls with one special person ("Southbound Train," "On Grafton Street"). Although she falters a bit when choosing to tackle politics ("Time of Inconvenience"), this is her most consistent album of original songs in almost a decade.