Although
Lure the Fox is only a minimal step away from the sparse
The Size of Planets in terms of the lushness of its arrangements, it sounds considerably more self-assured and mature than the South Dakota native's debut.
Haley Bonar's close-mic'ed, gently twangy vocals remain front and center, sounding like the moody triangulation point between
Gillian Welch,
Aimee Mann and
Neko Case. However, the multi-instrumentalist expands her arsenal beyond acoustic guitar and Fender Rhodes, adding more drums, a wider variety of keyboards, and increased roles for
Alan Sparhawk's electric guitar and
Chris Morrissey's bass. The songs remain basically the same as on the debut, favoring floaty minor-key tunes and literate lyrics that tease themselves into the listener's mind rather than spelling themselves out. Fans of
Shannon Wright,
Laura Veirs or any of the above-named artists will find much to love here. ~ Stewart Mason