Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Anti-/Epitaph, 2006)

Chanteuse Neko Case seems to have a taste for animal flesh - at least in the titles of her albums. Her last CD, �The Tigers Have Spoken,� featured Case in a live setting. Having returned to the studio (after a stint with her other project, Canadian power popsters The New Pornographers), Case seems to be pushing into new terrain.

Her voice is more ethereal in selections such as �Margaret vs. Pauline� or �Hold On, Hold On� (which also features great rat-a-tat-tat drums by Travis Good). You�ll still get a healthy portion of her trademark honey n� grits vocals on songs such as �A Widow�s Toast.�

But the overall effect on �Fox� is a haunting one. Garth Hudson adds piano and keyboards to several pieces, while Kelly Hogan makes her usual - and welcome - guest appearance. Fans ought to be pleased by Case�s experiments.