Carnival

Kasey Chambers' fourth solo album, Carnival, marks the singer-songwriter's most contemporary, edgy and rocking album to date. This Carnival is worth the price of admission.

With her fourth album, Australia's Kasey Chambers is expanding her realm. There are bigger sounds, including a flurry of electric guitars, and she has winningly created a whole new set of mysterious tensions. Eschewing the softer sound that had defined her earlier work, Chambers' innocent sounding voice is now set against a world of shadows and acute angles. The band also eases into a range of sophisticated grooves, from the noir-infused "Light up a Candle" to the barn burning "Got You." Chambers can still churn out catchy melodies, which she does at every turn (the chorus to "Sign on the Door" is unstoppable), though she keeps them from ever becoming cloying. Also with the expansive arrangements there's a dynamic quality to the album as a whole, as density gives way to open spaces. Indeed, Carnival is an apt title for this three-quarters of an hour that is filled with bright colors, movement and surprise. --David Greenberger