Accessible, spunky and heartfelt, Julie Loyd captures the spirit of Ani Difranco before she discovered free jazz. Any singer-songwriter worth her salt has to have good lyrics, and Loyd's - general enough for anyone to relate to but personal enough to feel honest - anchor her music well. The songs on her new disc beg to be played over the credits of a complex drama. With Loyd's stories of lost love, city streets, and heavy drinking, one gets the feeling that she would be standing on a street corner with her guitar singing about her life even if no one was there to listen. Not because she wanted to, but because she had no choice. The music chose her. Not the other way around.

Brad Filicky