Dar Williams's success as young '90s folkie isn't hard to discern. She has a consistent lyrical intelligence, an evocative, if sometimes cloying soprano, and a steady, graceful finger-style guitar skill. But, what's more, she has tapped into a yearning for immediacy and sincerity among her college-age (and mostly female) audience. Williams's first record is her sparest, simplest and best.
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