PJ Harvey, "White Chalk" (Island)
PJ Harvey has long been known as the queen of indie rock 'n' roll blues; a British rose blackened at the edges.
From 1992's raw debut "Dry" to 2004's snarling "Uh Huh Her," she has released an onslaught of fuzzy guitar and worldly lyrics.
"White Chalk," her eighth studio album, is Harvey's biggest departure yet — a piano-based collection of 11 solitary and lovely tunes.
Co-produced by Harvey and her longtime collaborators Flood and John Parish, the album starts off with Harvey's normally growled vocals turning airy on "The Devil." The album ends with a haunted moan on "The Mountain."
A poet at heart, Harvey always bites with her words, whether they're lifted in rage as on her early work or plunged down to earth with depression here.
"The ceiling is moving, moving in time. Like a conveyer belt, above my eyes," she croons scratchily over a refined melody on "When Under Ether."
Harmonica and staccato piano feed the breakup tune "Silence."
"I freed myself from my family, I freed myself from work, I freed myself ... and remained alone," Harvey laments in an elegant vibrato.
True, 1998's "Is This Desire?" and 2000's "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" mined Harvey's more atmospheric tendencies, but "White Chalk" proves she has a matured knack for intimacy — without the cushion of loudness or fuzz.
CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Dear Darkness" is a deceptively simple yet catchy plea whispered with emotion. "Dear darkness, won't you cover, cover me again," Harvey sings. "I've been your friend for many years."
