Julie Doiron: Heart And Crime

More than simply stripped-down, Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron's Heart And Crime is stripped bare. Consisting largely of Doiron's hushed voice and gentle guitar, the album sounds like it was recorded with the goal of not disturbing anyone who might accidentally overhear it being made. The graceful, heartfelt results recall a more reserved, equally confessional Cat Power. A good deal of these songs' beauty comes from their unwillingness to shy away from feelings for fear of getting sappy: Doiron's voice may sound reserved, but she tackles love (both the easy and hard parts) and motherhood with real emotion. Songs about parenting can tread dangerously gooey ground, but the delicate album-opener "Wintermitts" succeeds with a lovingly light touch. Besides, Doiron seems at peace with her sentimentality, having named her own label Sappy Records. Also telling: Her first solo album, released while she was still playing bass in the fuzzy rock band Eric's Trip, was credited to "Broken Girl." That name never fully applied, though, because while Doiron's songs seep vulnerability, they're ultimately life-affirming. Even the recitation of insecurities on the album's finest song, "Too Much," comes across as merely melancholy and wistful. Heart And Crime's most telling line arrives during "Sending The Photographs," as Doiron softly and sadly intones, "I'm tearing off all my clothes so you can have a good look." Like the rest of the album, and like all of Doiron's music, it succeeds at exposing and exploring the beauty of sad and fragile moments.