o me, she was the great female vocalist in Canada’s best pop band, The New Pornographers. Honestly, before I discovered her talents singing “Letter From An Occupant”, I always thought of Neko Case as a Canadian girl who sang country with a band called The Boyfriends, and constantly had her ass kissed by the press. In interviews, she came across as kind of tough and sassy, looking like she would glass me if I asked her for a snog. Luckily, I gave her non-Pornographic music a chance, because Blacklisted is an incredible record.

It turns out that she’s had a hell of a career. She was a member of Maow, a great Vancouver all-girl punk band and went to form the Corn Sisters with Carolyn Mark. Sadly, she isn’t Canadian, but Virginian, which makes a lot of sense. Neko Case’s brand of country is very satisfying to the ear, because it’s far from your ordinary dull western album. After hearing a few songs, without knowing, it becomes obvious that members of The Sadies, Calexico and Giant Sand contribute their talents to Blacklisted.

What is so great about Case’s music is how lost it makes you feel. Not in the scared sense, but in how you can hear a song that puts you into another dimension, carefree and without any worries. “Stinging Velvet” captures this effect perfectly when Case sings the simple words of “Cold and shiver”. With acoustic, electric and steel guitars twiddling away in the background a shiver does crawl along your spine telling you this is good. “Deep Red Bells” has a similar effect, yet in a strong salute to the Man in Black. It even goes on an unexpected and upbeat tangent before it collapses back into its former self. Mesmerising stuff. In addition, wonderful remnants of old theatrical nostalgia come to mind when listening to “Look For Me (I’ll Be Around)”. It’s hauntingly mistaken for a million of songs that you know you heard in some sinister 60s whodunit, with Dallas Good’s guitar and Joey Burns’ vibes setting the high level of mystique.

It’s hard to write any more without wiping my chin every couple of minutes. Maybe it’s just all too new to me, but Neko Case’s charm has stolen my heart. Even when her music leans towards the sleepy hollow of Mazzy Star or Cowboy Junkies near the end, Case doesn’t lose her spark. Now I see why those critics kiss her ass so much—because she fucking deserves it.