Tom Lynch

Keren Ann remains a bit of a mystery. How does someone like this not dominate her peers? Because she hasn't any. She's in a field of her own. The Paris and New York-based singer-songwriter's U.S. debut, "Not Going Anywhere," hit swell notes with critics for its quiet sensibilities and soft tones, and now, with her follow-up "Nolita" hitting shelves this week, she merely continues to glow in her hushed melodies and velvety vocals. Some in French, others in English, Keren Ann's songs belong in dark, smoky clubs filled with those looking for unexpected pleasures in dreamy soundscapes. With a voice like this, an instrument in itself that yields the great mysteries of musical comfort, her work can calm any night trembles when she uses harmonies on top of each other, like in the superbly pretty track "Greatest You Can Find." The following track on the record, a gorgeous lullaby called "Chelsea Burns" and the highest point of a record filled with high points, pits a deep bass against her echoed voice, and when the Southern-fused fiddle approaches, it's almost sad how distinctive the record actually is and how other artists don't sound like this. "Nolita" is that rare find that stays with you for a while.

Keren Ann performs March 20 at the Hothouse, 31 East Balbo, (312)362-9707

(2005-03-15)

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