"I am the speed of sound".
"I'm a man-eater".
"I'm not the man you think I am".

The "Middle Cyclone" of the album title seems to be Neko Case herself. She spins in so many shapes, personalities and styles, and is presently a whirlwind of musical force to be reckoned with, standing at that infamous crossroads of Critical Acclaim and Commercial Popularity.

"I've made a conscious effort... to trust myself both in my life and in my work", says Case in her promo sheet, but this seems to be part of the reason why her songs are gaining momentum in our tumultuous economy: She defies categorization and "expiry date". Her musical style has always walked lines like a spider across roots and country, folk and pop, and this ability to open herself up to influences and experimentation has been an ally.

Along with a dozen originals that she sinks her satin-tinged teeth into, Case has also challenged herself with two cover tunes: Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth", and Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me". Album closer "Red Tide" (I'm not counting the 30 minute cricket song of "Marais La Nuit") is a favourite for it's sparsely horn and piano accompanied, sexy-swagger of 60's soul. Surely a perfect bluesy soundtrack to a modern Film Noir, it winds down "Middle Cyclone" in gloriously timeless style.

This will be a classic album for your kids to pull out of your "Plastic Discs" collection decades from now, imagining themselves onstage alongside Case and belting out the lyrics to "People Got A Lotta Nerve". So add it now.

Track Listing:
1) This Tornado Loves You
2) The Next Time You Say "Forever"
3) People Got A Lotta Nerve
4) Polar Nettles
5) Vengeance Is Sleeping
6) Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
7) Middle Cyclone
8) Fever
9) Magpie To the Morning
10) I'm An Animal
11) Prison Girls
12) Don't Forget Me
13) The Pharaohs
14) Red Tide
15) Marais La Nuit