(Bloodshot)

www.bloodshotrecords.com

Listening to Exene Cervenka solo can seem like hearing half a conversation: her sparring with John Doe in X is so classic, so perfect, so ingrained that one always expects his voice to follow hers. That affects how one experiences Somewhere Gone, her first solo album since 1991, but once that expectation diminishes, a solid, insightful album comes into focus. "She's without a country & western song/Somewhere somewhere somewhere gone," Exene sings in the title track, and the album is full of stripped down, old-time rustic songs.

While not exactly C&W, it's closer to the Knitters than to X. The accompaniment is minimal: often just an acoustic guitar and Cindy Wasserman's backing vocals, with pianos, fiddles and other instruments occasionally joining in. These are eerie folk songs-Exene's voice has that timeless, rural, conversational quality-although all but one song are originals. It's tempting to read intimations of mortality into the record; Exene was recently diagnosed with MS. But it's more a welcomed return than a valedictory.

Standout Tracks:  "Willow Tree," "Fevered Paper" STEVE KLINGE