NINA NASTASIA- Run To Ruin
Nastasia's done a couple albums now for Chicago's Touch 'n Go label. The first was an underground cult favorite, The Blackened Air. Her plaintive take on Americana treads pretty dark and brooding ground. Its emotional weight scared off a few timid listeners, even leaving some mainstream critics haplessly pointing to the catalog of P.J. Harvey, Cat Power, and Lucinda Williams for security. Of course, they're only half right: although just as good as her peers, Nastasia is uniquely on her own path. Today, Nastasia calls Manhattan home, but judging from the gritty realism of Run To Ruin, she hasn't bought into the fairy tale of New York. Instead, the songs on this recording are sharp, pointed and succinct, without romanticizing the "morose," a mistake typical of many lesser wanton troubadours. Recommended. Available June 3rd.
