Middle Cyclone (Bonus Track Version)

For those who have already fallen under her spell, singer/songwriter Neko Case’s voice is a wonder. So when the fluttering guitar at the beginning of “This Tornado Loves You” ushers in Case’s mellifluous singing on her new release, Middle Cyclone, it’s like a comforting scent from junior high. Her fifth album has widescreen ambition coupled with an intimate-sounding execution. In addition to usual suspects the New Pornographers and Calexico, she also collaborates with everyone from Los Lobos to M. Ward to Garth Hudson (of the Band fame). The easy-swinging “Magpie to the Morning” sounds like a lost folk song once learned at summer camp, while her surprising interpretation of the Sparks’ “Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth” is as fresh and topical as ever. It's the ideal meeting of craft (strong arrangements and orchestrations) and art (Case's singular brand of singing plus inspired instrumental contributions) that made this highly anticipated album ultimately worth the wait.