Robin Stone

As engaging a vocalist and savvy a lyricist as Robin Stone is, it's her knack for just making good music that ultimately drives her new album. Like most fine songs, Stone's succeed on purely musical terms. No matter how one interprets the verbal snapshots, impressions, and journal entries here, they consistently make for good lyrics. They weave well into the breezy, open acoustic grooves that are RushMore's bill of fare. And much of the credit for this belongs to Stone's jazzy melodic sense -- ever-present, but never worked to distraction -- which consistently persuades words of substance to behave like words to a song.

In the wake of Norah Jones's Grammy-studded success, this may be a good time for sophisticated female artists. Stone has the wherewithal to shed the "regional" tag, and this disc is a strong step in that direction.