Tift Merritt -- Another Country

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Tift Merritt
Another Country
4 stars

After wowing the critics with her 2002 debut, the country-tinged Bramble Rose, Tift Merritt shattered the girl-with-a-guitar stereotype on her second album, the funkified soul-fest that was Tambourine. Now she's back, nearly four years later, with another gem, this time an elegant, more polished journey to her Americana roots.

During her hiatus, Merritt spent a soul-searching stretch living in Paris, where the bulk of Another Country came together, and her lyrics reflect an artist emerging from a period of desperation and confusion with a fully realized vision of her place in the world. "I Know What I'm Looking For Now" and "Morning is My Destination" are beautifully simple tracks that illustrate the restorative powers of a little quality time alone with a piano and notebook.

Merritt's crystalline soprano is one of the hidden gems of the music world today, and Another Country is the perfect vehicle for her Emmylou pipes. Whether she's putting a soulful tinge on "Tell Me Something True," ringing out the tenderly precise phrases of "Broken," or fluttering along with the achingly gorgeous title track, it's obvious that she's found her voice in every sense of the word. With a solid backing band and a reputation for putting on sizzling live shows, Merritt continues to show why her star is rising in the alt-country world and beyond.