I never really thought a lot about it, but I think there is a North Carolina sound. It goes back to Whiskeytown and Tift Merritt (who didn't exactly intersect, but work with me), but really it goes back to the dBs and Superchunk and, perhaps most importantly, Let's Active, Arrogance and everything Mitch Easter and Don Dixon have ever done. And yep, both are involved here.

Florence Dore Hold the Spark (Propeller Sound Recordings)

Florence Dore calls Chapel Hill home. Her style has some of the lush feel that Caitlin Cary (or Lambchop) purveyed, but she's got a little "Let's try this" that exemplified some of the rootsier Archers of Loaf moments. Okay, see what I mean about a North Carolina sound? It's all over the place and yet centered as well. More folk, more jazz and more rock than yer usual "country" style. If you're still confused, go listen to some Steve Earle (not from these parts, but still) and get back to me.

And yes, Dixon (who, among a myriad of things, produced plenty of early R.E.M.) handled the knobs here. Okay, now that I have explained my premise, let's get to Dore. She's got a powerful voice that finds vulnerability in impossible places. The songs veer from contemplative to "Twelve Great Minds (Department Meeting)", which is one of the most vicious (and hilarious) takedowns of academic mansplaining you'll ever hear.

Oh, yeah, in case you didn't notice, "americana" in North Carolina means pretty much everything gets thrown into the pot. That can lead to aural chaos, but in the hands of a solid songwriter and performer like Dore, it's more of a variety show. Her voice is what bridges the disparate sonic avenues, and she connects every time.

There's plenty of reasons why musical people move to the greater Research Triangle area, even though the days of cheap housing were long gone when I moved away twenty years ago. But the institutional musical history never left, and the opportunities for collaboration and just plain messing around abound. Dore has clearly listened intently, and she has absorbed the character of her home. This is her third album. The last one won a few best-of awards. This one is better. She came into her own on her last album. Now she's starting to lap the field. I question the humanity of anyone who can resist this set.

Jon Worley