Electric Ursa [Purple Vinyl]

The second long-player from the Louisville-based singer/songwriter with one foot in the deep bluegrass of Kentucky and the other in the rocky crags of Laurel Canyon, Electric Ursa finds Joan Shelley, who resides somewhere between Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, and Gillian Welch, recording in her hometown with My Morning Jacket and Andrew Bird producer Kevin Ratterman. Intimate, warm, and soulful, the album features eight evocative original songs, including "Something Small," "First of August, "Long Way to Night," and the languid title track. ~ James Christopher Monger