(Fat Possum)

 www.fatpossum.com

Erika Wennerstrom seems perfectly content to bang the hell out of a couple chords if they suit her rough and rugged mood. If a fat riff sounds good on its own, guitar solos aren't necessary (an overdubbed guitar frantically strumming in the background doesn't exactly count). On the third album by Wennerstrom's Heartless Bastards, this simplicity both starts fires ("Out at Sea") and spins its wheels without delivering ("Nothing Seems the Same"). By the same standards, when a song like "Witchy Poo" leans heavily on one lyric, it gets old quickly.

Still, it's hard not to like The Mountain. Few albums have the sharp bite that this trio flexes. Mike McCarthy, who has produced everyone from Spoon to Patty Griffin, gives them a sonic sheen that evokes early PJ Harvey. A few songs quiet down, and add banjo and fiddle, but the mood never wavers. Wennerstrom, like a certain other Dayton native, sounds like she's copping an accent on many songs, in particular some sort of brogue. She also sounds like she's chewing gum between lyrics, which only adds to the scrappy quality of her delivery. So even when the writing comes up a little short, Wennerstrom's feeling more than makes up for it.

Standout Tracks: "Out At Sea," "Early in the Morning." MIKE SHANLEY