Tarnation Gentle Creatures Lyrics

Like Iris Dement on a day trip to the dark side, Georgia singer Paula Fraser delivers a seductively Gothic take on country folk Americana. The blend of steel guitar, Fraser's lonesome soprano, and an empty-barroom ambience sends shivers through "The Well," "Game of Broken Hearts," and "Lonely Lights." The circle is indeed unbroken when a sound this traditional is viewed as hip and happening. --Jeff Bateman