Haley Bonar - Lure The Fox (2006)

Although Lure the Fox is only a minimal step away from the sparse The Size of Planets in terms of the lushness of its arrangements, it sounds considerably more self-assured and mature than the South Dakota native's debut. Haley Bonar's close-mic'ed, gently twangy vocals remain front and center, sounding like the moody triangulation point between Gillian Welch, Aimee Mann and Neko Case. However, the multi-instrumentalist expands her arsenal beyond acoustic guitar and Fender Rhodes, adding more drums, a wider variety of keyboards, and increased roles for Alan Sparhawk's electric guitar and Chris Morrissey's bass. The songs remain basically the same as on the debut, favoring floaty minor-key tunes and literate lyrics that tease themselves into the listener's mind rather than spelling themselves out. Fans of Shannon Wright, Laura Veirs or any of the above-named artists will find much to love here.