On their second LP, Fort Worth/Denton, Texas'
Bosque Brown remain tinted by the breathy, ghostly chamber vocals of Mara Lee Miller, who sounds like a bizarre group marriage of
Chan Marshall of
Cat Power,
Björk,
Nina Simone,
Amy Winehouse,
Sam Phillips,
Hope Sandoval, and
Patsy Cline. She would have to be, singing over music that flits from '30s country to gospel to ancient folk. Usually, the backing is so spare (just a piano, or barely troubled acoustic) it feels like she is singing a cappella even though she only does that occasionally, like on "Off and Off, Pts. 1 & 2." Good thing her voice is so piquant, darkly soulful, and rich, instead of thin and waif-like, because she's up to the task of carrying these 13 evocative cuts. ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover