Shannon Wright

Prolific songwriter Shannon Wright returns with her third album in as many years, and again it's an excellent exploration of the darkness of her damaged heart. With a vocal inflection that occasionally recalls the growls that marked Sinead O'Connor's arrival in music, Wright's sound is more akin to the hometown of her Chicago record label than any over-the-top art rock. Having abandoned her previous band, Crowsdell, and sold off all her possessions, Wright has since made it her musical mission to explore the inner stuff that we can't rid ourselves of so easily. Dyed in the Wool is dark, twisted, mangled and yet somehow lovely. It's not an every day listen, but Wright has proven once again that this journey, however dour, is best not made alone.