Kat Hamilton has a unique voice, an untrained alto that doesn't always hit the notes or stay in tune. Works just fine with her grungy version of folk rock, songs that might be quiet or loud but are never pretty (or nice). She acknowledges as much in the chorus of "Ohio" ("Guess I'm no longer welcome in Ohio"). That song also showcases the spectacular effect of her flawed voice. Singing that song "right" could be so, so wrong.

Kat Hamilton Recovery Songs (self-released)

I'm not really an expert on the right way to make music, but I sure do know what's effective. With "Slow Motion", Hamilton appropriates the edgy melancholia of Emmylou Harris's albums with Daniel Lanois. She wails her way, and eventually the center cannot hold. It ends up being more of a deconstruction than an homage, and that works just fine.

Kat Hamilton basically sings Kat Hamilton songs in the Kat Hamilton style. They're not pretty, they're not sweet and the characters in them are often reprehensible. Like all of us, I imagine Hamilton feels this way about herself from time to time (or even more often). These songs are a lovely catharsis.

Well, not lovely, but I think you get the drift. Hamilton likes write anthemic hooks and then uncut them in sometimes inartful ways. And then once in a while she plays the game straight. There's just no guessing what comes next from Kat Hamilton, and that is one of the things that makes this album so arresting.

Jon Worley