Blacklisted

On her third solo album, Case swaps sassy alt-country for aching torch ‘n’ twang. The ex-punk drummer (and member of pop group the New Pornographers) channels her vocal wallop into a slow-burning drawl on minor-key waltzes and soulful ballads. It’s an elegiac effort steeped in Case’s wanderlust, borrowing its minimal, reverb-kissed instrumentation from Appalachian porches and Southwestern honky-tonks. In this trans-American setting, Case emerges as a roots powerhouse.