England's June Tabor is almost always described as a folk singer, but she has none of the spontaneity and playfulness of a true folk artist. In fact, she more closely resembles a classically trained art singer who works best within precise, controlled settings. On "Against the Streams," Tabor implicitly acknowledges this fact by choosing songs and arrangements which emphasize formal structures over intuitive interpretation. The result is the best recording she has ever made.

Elvis Costello wrote "I Want to Vanish" specifically for the album. It's an interesting song, but its elliptical language and peculiar intervals have nothing to do with folk music and everything to do with the sort of art music Costello cowrote with the Brodsky Quartet. In similar fashion, Richard Thompson's "Pavanne," the story of a particularly vicious femme fatale, is a painstakingly deliberate number that demands careful delivery. Tabor is the perfect vocalist for the austere artifice of these two songs and of similar numbers by Texas' Eric Taylor, Australia's Alistair Hulett, and England's Ian Telfer.

It helps that Tabor is backed by minimalist chambermusic arrangements led by her two road musicians, pianist/cellist Huw Warren and violinist/accordionist Mark Emerson. Except for one lapse, when Tabor tries a lively folkdance number, "Against the Streams" is a perfect match of slow-moving chamber settings, demanding material and strong, studied singing. --Geoffrey Himes