Amanda Shires

To the Sunset

If the striking image of a shimmering, ghostly Amanda Shires on the cover of To the Sunset hints at the fact that fans of the excellent My Piece of Land

should expect something a little different this time around, the swirling backwards electronic sounds and feedback that introduce opener “Parking Lot Pirouette” make this abundantly clear. Working again with producer Dave Cobb, the Texas-born singer-songwriter and ace violinist has lost none of her knack for haunting, insightful lyrics and vivid, taut storytelling. Whereas previous albums rarely strayed far from country and folk, here Shires dresses up her words in rich, varied arrangements. She also experiments with effects pedals on To the Sunset to play a searing fiddle solo on the hardrocking “Eve’s Daughter” or add a layer of atmospherics to the catchy “Leave It Alone.” It marks a substantial shift for Shires and this may be her finest album yet. (Silver Knife/Thirty Tigers)