The Virginian, her debut, is heavy on covers, mostly country (Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn) but with a nod toward rock-hipster tastes with its version of Scott Walker’s “Duchess.”  

 The Virginian, her debut, is heavy on covers, mostly country (Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn) but with a nod toward rock-hipster tastes with its version of Scott Walker’s “Duchess.”  

 A teenage punk-rocker turned alt-country chanteuse, Neko Case was born in Alexandria, VA, and raised mainly in Tacoma, WA. She spent the mid-Nineties attending art college in Vancouver, B.C., where she met the future members of the terrific power-pop combo the New Pornographers, as well as Caroly... 

 A teenage punk-rocker turned alt-country chanteuse, Neko Case was born in Alexandria, VA, and raised mainly in Tacoma, WA. She spent the mid-Nineties attending art college in Vancouver, B.C., where she met the future members of the terrific power-pop combo the New Pornographers, as well as Caroly... 

 Furnace Room Lullaby is even more assured, and features the great “Thrice All American,” a tribute to Tacoma (“I wanna tell you about my hometown/It’s a dusty old jewel in the south Puget Sound”) that’s become a theme song of sorts for Case.  

 Furnace Room Lullaby is even more assured, and features the great “Thrice All American,” a tribute to Tacoma (“I wanna tell you about my hometown/It’s a dusty old jewel in the south Puget Sound”) that’s become a theme song of sorts for Case.  

 Blacklisted turned down the twang and cranked up the noir, bringing to mind a more down-home k.d. lang or an updated, David Lynch-ian Patsy Cline, particularly on the two cover tunes, Ketty Lester’s “Look for Me (I’ll Be Around),” and Aretha Franklin’s “Running Out of Fools.” Just a... 

 Blacklisted turned down the twang and cranked up the noir, bringing to mind a more down-home k.d. lang or an updated, David Lynch-ian Patsy Cline, particularly on the two cover tunes, Ketty Lester’s “Look for Me (I’ll Be Around),” and Aretha Franklin’s “Running Out of Fools.” Just a... 

 Fox Confessor Brings the Flood more than delivered. For the first time, Case transcended her influences, and her impossibly clear voice brought life to her best batch of originals to date. Strident, moody reminiscences (“Hold On, Hold On,” “The Needle Has Landed”) and noir-ish love songs ... 

 Fox Confessor Brings the Flood more than delivered. For the first time, Case transcended her influences, and her impossibly clear voice brought life to her best batch of originals to date. Strident, moody reminiscences (“Hold On, Hold On,” “The Needle Has Landed”) and noir-ish love songs ... 

 It was no surprise, then, that Middle Cyclone debuted at a career-best Number Three on the Billboard 200. Utilizing nature as an overarching theme with which to explore emotions and relationships and following roughly the same sonic template from Fox Confessor, Case shined bright on tracks like t... 

 It was no surprise, then, that Middle Cyclone debuted at a career-best Number Three on the Billboard 200. Utilizing nature as an overarching theme with which to explore emotions and relationships and following roughly the same sonic template from Fox Confessor, Case shined bright on tracks like t...