It's happened -- transfiguration complete. With its fourth album, Chicago's Dolly Varden has taken the formidable strengths of each recording -- first evidenced way back in 1995 on Mouthful of Lies -- and combined them in a seamless, breathtaking collection of rock and pop songs that embrace country music's gloriously complex heart without calling into play any of its cultural clichés, which have unfortunately been embraced by "alterna-twang" crowd over the past decade. Dolly Varden stands on its own as a rock band first. Part of the credit goes to the bandmembers' fortitude; they've hung on for seven years without a personnel change. Part also goes to the teaming once again with Nashville's Brad Jones, who worked with DV on 2000's Dumbest Magnets. But most of the credit has to go to the bandmembers themselves, particularly the dual front-person lineup of singers and songwriters Diane Christiansen and Stephen Dawson. Added to the mix on Forgiven Now is legendary Nashville session picker Al Perkins on pedal steel, adding a textured depth and dimension to the proceedings. While Forgiven Now displays a next step in terms of the band's growth and promise, it's a big one. The songwriting here has moved to a level where the excess is gone and the economy of language, instrumentation, and even hooks is given first priority.