Label: Bloodshot Records

Released: 2002

To be unmoved by the captivating, wondrous spell of Neko Case is to miss out on something truly unique and awe-inspiring.  Weaving magic with her voice, which conjures up memories of Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Dusty Springfield all at once, yet one which remains truly original and all her own, Case’s use of this wondrous instrument is simply spellbinding. 

By giving country music the respect it deserves (unlike the majority of modern-day country artists, who only insult the form by insisting on calling themselves country), and by fusing that respect with her roots in punk rock, Case has become a leading force in the alternative country movement (a force centralized in Chicago). 

From taking charge and assuming the brunt of the writing and arranging of the album (her previous two albums and one EP consisted primarily of covers), Case’s stamp is pressed even firmer on a sound that is wholly hers.

Like a spiritual companion piece to good friend (and vocal guest) Kelly Hogan’s 2001 masterpiece, Because It Feel Good, Blacklisted is chock full of entrancing cinematic moments.  The deepest felt of which is “Deep Red Bells“, a song Case has said is about the fear she and her friends had in Tacoma, Washington of the infamous Green River killer.  A fear so deep, that the girls would carry steak knives with them during their pre-sunrise walks to school.  But the song is just as much about being rendered non-existent in some people’s eyes by your income standing.  “It looks a lot like engine oil/and tastes like being poor and small/and Popsicles/in summer”. 

“Pretty Girls”, seems at first to be a message to women to protect themselves from getting hurt by “wolves”.  But with the line, “Your hearts are so tried, and so innocent/Wind your flimsy blue gowns tight around you/’Round curves so comely and sinister/They blame it on you pretty girls”, something much darker seems to be said.  It reads more like a song about sexual assault than a simple warning about the way men can break women‘s hearts. 

The cover of “Running Out Of Fools” features the most breathtaking vocal by Case on the album.  With backing vocals by Hogan and Mary Margaret O’Hara, the song is the embodiment of the term “torch song”.  The line “Have yourself a dime’s worth of talking/Then I’m gonna hang right up on you” is just priceless in the way that Case lets it roll off of her tongue.

The allbum’s fine musical support includes a virtual who’s who of indie music all-stars.  From collaborators Jon Rauhouse, Tom V. Ray (co-writer of the album opener “Things That Scare Me”) and Dallas Good (The Sadies), to Joey Burns and John Convertino (Calexico), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Brian Connelly (Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet), as well as the aforementioned Hogan and O’Hara, the music is on some pretty firm ground.  Having strong musical support surely was a strong bed of comfort for Case to rely on while boldly stretching out to showcase her songwriting confidence.

Just when one could think that she could not have made a better album than Furnace Room Lullaby, Case stuns even the most faithful of believers with a collection of songs that shudder one's soul to the very core of being.  With an ever growing arsenal of talents (she is learning how to play mandocello and banjo for her next album) and that voice, she certainly has the talent and ability to reach out to the heavens and take a shot at the stars.

9.5/10, Brett Hickman