After the fascinating blend of crisp-and-clear cool and low-key energy that defined Bohemia, on Dragonfly Moore lets the energy bubble up more to the fore. It makes the album just a touch less special than Bohemia and a little more readily earthy -- the type of thing that mid-'90s programmers looking for the next Sheryl Crow or Sarah McLachlan were probably hunting for. But by no means is Dragonfly a bad experience, and with Gavin McKillop handling the production this time around (having assisted on Bohemia), Moore's backing matches her gentle passion quite well. Indeed, sometimes she really steps up excellently; "Pleasure Grounds" features some of her most direct, strongest singing yet, while the backing music makes for a miniature epic touched with a hint of shoegaze power. Her ear for the occasional calm MC break in her songs remains untouched, thus her concluding words on "Genuine," while the restrained funk breaks on "Love Won't Find Us Here" or the just-off-center rhythm of "Hollow As Bone" give some kicky changes to the album's general flow. The woozy guitar chime on "Here" and subtle beauty of "Kiss of Life" have much of Bohemia's wistful power; if the mix is a touch more radio-friendly, the results can't be argued with. Other efforts can be a touch too ham-handed -- usually through no fault of Moore's per se, whose singing never sounds less than excellent. But the parping Hammond organ start of "Watermark" grates a bit, where other appearances aren't so bad, while many of the songs show relatively little difference from each other in the end. Often Dragonfly succeeds best in a matter of details: consider the stripped-down start of "Evolution (The Same Way)," which steers away from the full, flush flow of much of the album to let only a guitar, bass, and Moore do the talking.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo