Annick Odom plays double bass and clarinet, but her Linen of Words project is a largely vocal restatement and reinterpretation of traditional Appalachian folk music. She infuses elements of Central European group vocal music (a wide catchall, I know) and classical composition to bring these pieces to life. Some songs are old, some are new, and some are old melodies with new lyrics.

Annick Odom Linen of Words (self-released)

The sound is arresting, particularly in the acapella moments. Odom's voice doesn't seem to be trained (again, she is an instrumental musician), but she handles all of the vocals (including the overdubs) with confidence.

This album creates a world that doesn't exist in our own. Odom's arrangements and compositions are neither deconstructions nor straightforward progressions. She's taken the source material and found an entirely different form of expression while staying largely within the sound. If that sounds contradictory or just plain weird, then I've gotten my point across perfectly.

It's rare to hear an album with this level of artistic intention and sparkling execution. Odom's ideas aren't intuitive or obvious, but she's found a new heart within an old sound. For something that might be filed under "traditional," this is some exceptionally accessible experimental stuff. It not only works; it soars. Mind-expanding.

Jon Worley