Stateside listeners have scant knowledge of Scottish singer and songwriter Eddi Reader past her fleeting blip of recognition as the deliriously lovely voice of Fairground Attraction, which sneaked momentarily onto pop radar in the late '80s. That's more than a pity: Reader's vibrant mezzo soprano and finely detailed songs are emotionally engaging, ear-filling wonders, marked by a wonderful balance of vocal power and unalloyed feeling, and this, her failed bid at an American career, is proof positive. Its lovely mix of acoustic folk accents and pop bloom is the result of an unlikely gestation in Ojai, California, which says nothing about the music--what tells the tale are Reader's smart, tender songs, which capture romantic enchantment ("The Right Place") and disillusionment (the heartbreaking "Dear John") against bejewelled settings that place this squarely within the canon of the best British folk-pop. Think of Nick Drake's younger, saner sister, and you're on the right path. --Sam Sutherland