Compared with Canadian indie-folkie Basia Bulat’s first three albums, her latest feels supercharged. While Bulat’s previous sound was lovely, always tasteful, mostly mournful, here she comes arrestingly alive, invigorated firstly by the roiling emotions and rich material of a raw breakup and secondly by warm, glowing production from My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, who brings out previously lurking pop and soul tendencies. This new Bulat barnstorms the stomping, accusatory catharsis of La La Lie, the poignant girl-groupisms of Fool and the Motowny high drama of In the Name Of, in which her gorgeous voice hits tormented heights, before finding resolution in the golden, ambient organ-fugged closing couple of The Garden and Someday Soon.
