Rae Spoon - Superior You Are Inferior (2008)

Singer-songwriter Rae Spoon has an Americana foundation to her coffeehouse folk numbers. An example of this is “Great Lakes”, a song that relies on her sweet vocals and an even sweeter, sugar-coated melody. Think of a cross between Kathleen Edwards and Lucinda Williams and you should get the gist of where she’s coming from. Edwards particularly comes to mind on the gorgeous roots pop of “Come on Forrest Fire Burn the Disco Down” and the equally solid and haunting “Bones in a Museum”. Although most of the material is above average, a great moment comes in the slow-dance feel of “If You Lose Your Horses” which instantly brings to mind Chrissie Hynde singing “I’ll Stand by You”. Although Spoon offers up some electronica-tinged touches on some of the latter songs such as “Strength From Within”, Spoon relies on her great craftsmanship to deliver the goods perfectly.