When I heard Bella White's last album, Among Other Things, I had the sneaking suspicion that she was going to succumb to the Nashville machine. Just a tweak here, a bit more oomph there . . . and her voice would have been lost.

Bella White A Sign in the Weather (Rounder)

I'm not the biggest fan of Nashville pop country, but dressing up a classic voice like White's would be like caking makeup on Timothee Chalamet. Let her wail in that Loretta Lynn not-exactly-fragile style and get the hell out of the way. Thankfully, that's exactly what her third album does.

It's not that she's committed to "pure" roots country. She gussies up her songs with some unconventional sounds. But her voice rings-cum-rasps oh so true. It is a perfectly imperfect instrument, with considerable range but not entirely faithful to the melodies as written. And her voice is why her albums are so wonderful.

Yes, she writes great songs, and she's managed to find producers who give her wonderful settings within which to wail. But it's not any disservice to say that her defining quality is her voice. She knows how write for it, and she knows how to use it most effectively. I was not expecting such an intensely personal and introspective set, but I'm glad she knows who she is. May she continue to evolve and grow along her own path. An enchantment.

Jon Worley