MORDEN'S own Celtic thrush hasn't released a studio album in nine years, leaving fans to wonder if McKennitt's own muse had been disabled by the tragic accidental drowning of her fiancé Ronald Rees in 1998.

This satisfying musical statement from indie-pop chanteuse [TANYA DONELLY] won't surprise her fans -- it's as warm, engaging and full of the kind of rich songcraft that she has mastered over the years in bands like Throwing Muses and Belly. The alt-countryish fiddle and steel guitar interplay on many tracks adds an extra layer of poignancy to her girlish, at times whispery, pipes that can be fragile or powerful, whatever her muse. HHH1/2

The Blue Rodeo steel guitarist's latest solo album isn't far removed from what he's been required to string out in his other gigs and [BOB EGAN] could parlay these moody and downturned soundscapes into a bid for the Leonard Cohen mantle of apathy. After a few listens it becomes rather intoxicating. HHH