The Tigers Have Spoken

Over the past few years, Case has been making a name for herself in both indie rock and country circles as a solo artist and as a member of the New Pornographers. On this record, she's backed by a full band featuring the Sadies and steel guitar whiz Jon Rauhouse. Her majestic yet sublime singing voice, her poetic songwriting, and her musical vision, which reconstructs a century's worth of American music, has won her acclaim from all quarters.

It might seem a bit of a letdown to have waited 26 months (Case is such a transcendent singer, her fans were waiting the two years between Blacklisted and Tigers) for a brief, live effort that's half cover versions. But this disc is wide-ranging and superb, that rare breed of live album (think At Budokan and Small Town Romance) which ranks amongst an artist's finest, most representative work. Recorded in 2004 in Toronto and Chicago, Case is absolutely on fire for the ballads and the ass-kicking tunes. This is largely due to a ripping backing band composed of the Sadies and Jon Rauhouse, with fellow Corn Sister Carolyn Mark and Kelly Hogan lending their vocal talents (the effect's like Trio, but better). The album's title is discussed in a brief example of Case's between-song banter, an expression of her off-color humor which will not surprise those lucky enough to have seen her perform before. And if you never have yourself, this here's the next best thing. --Mike McGonigal

Recommended Albums by Neko Case and Friends

The Virginian	Furnace Room Lullaby	Blacklisted
The Sadies, Favourite Colours	Kelly Hogan, Beneath the Country Underdog	The Corn Sisters, The Other Women