Amy Millan — Masters Of The Burial

Stars and Broken Social Scene member Amy Millan has released yet another country-tinged album in Masters Of The Burial, the follow-up to her 2006 Honey From The Tombs debut. That record was a whiskey-soaked paean to sadness, while Masters Of The Burial is like the next morning's hangover, which might be why it comes across as slightly confused.

Opener "Bruised Ghosts" sounds like a countrified, slower version of Broken Social Scene's "Pacific Theme," while first single "Bury This" is like a more sober version of Tombs' "Skinny Boy." "Towers" features electronic keyboards, while Millan's version of Jenny Whiteley's "Day To Day" is minimalistic, mainly featuring Millan's voice and drums.

The disc's main problem its three best tracks are covers of Weeping Tile's "Old Perfume," the Whiteley track and Death Cab For Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into The Dark." More effort seems to have been put into these versions than Millan's own songs. It should have been the other way 'round.

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