A QUIETLY groundbreaking record from one of the most literate, musical performers on the circuit.

Sproule, whose name reads like an anagram, has a poetic take on normal life, never overdone – for example a family trip to the beach becomes something altogether more other-worldly (The Evening Ghost Crab).

She even pulls off the rare feat of making a song about being a musician interesting – and cover versions of The Warning Bell should start to pile up in that just parallel universe.

The key strengths are the quality of Sproule’s singing and the variety of the songs – this is far more than country record; with a myriad influences from impressionistic jazz and popular standards, and even one foray towards funk – but universally strong and interwoven by themes of loss and reconciliation.

This lack of a neat pigeon hole may count against her commercially, but in terms of giving the album an enduring appeal this feels like a classic.