By: David Schultz

The late nineties ushered in a new wave of recognition for female singer-songwriters, peaking with the Lilith Fair Festivals. Shawn Colvin, one of the stalwarts from this era, celebrated her 50th birthday earlier this year. On These Four Walls, her first studio album in five years, Colvin shows she hasn't lost her penchant for skillful songcraft. Rejoining her musical partner John Leventhal, the album features a pleasant collection of Colvin's uncomplicated arrangements.

Hardly an album of confinement, These Four Walls sees the reflective Colvin adding the perspective that comes from age. Still in strong voice, Colvin conveys innocence and empowerment in the smoky "I'm Gone" and gorgeously adapts Paul Westerberg's "Even Here We Are" into her own style. Colvin's guitar and sweetly refined voice form the centerpiece of this essentially timeless album. She runs the gamut from light and airy on "Fill Me Up," folksy on "Summer Dress," country-blues on "Tuff Kid" and the classic fifties style on "Venetian Blue." The cover of The Bee Gees' "Words," reportedly dashed off in one take, sounds like its burst from Colvin's soul, closing the album with a stunning burst of emotion.

Labels: Shawn Colvin