She Ain't Me (Back Porch, 2008)

Brooklyn-based, Austin-born and Berklee School of Music-trained, Carrie Rodriguez is a musician whose contrasts very much help to make her interesting, and whose overwhelming talent no doubt keeps you coming back for more. The follow-up to "Seven Angels on a Bicycle," ably produced by Malcolm Burn, further establishes Rodriguez as top-shelf singer-songwriter.

She gets help on the songwriter part of the equation from the capable likes of Gary Louris, Dan Wilson, Jim Boquist and Mary Gauthier. Lucinda Williams lends her vocals to "Mask of Moses," bringing her trademark passionate rawness to the song. Rodriguez is a more subdued performer, but Burn's full-throated production helps add a few rough edges that add intensity while complementing her vocals nicely. The fiddle-driven "Absence" is a highlight, showcasing Rodriguez's prowess on the instrument with a dab of backwoods funk. Other standouts include the should-be-a-hit title song and the lonesome atmospherics of "Can't Cry Enough," which caps the disc perfectly