Lori Carson's fourth album Stars may not be as consistently compelling as its immediate predecessor, the sublime Everything I Touch Runs Wild, but that's not to say that it's a bad record.

It's quite good, actually, and her songcraft continues to improve; it's subtle yet sturdy work.

The main problem is that the production doesn't pull the listener into the album, but Carson's songs and performance are passionate enough that they become quite gripping once you get past the surface.