Who is Amanda Leigh? Amanda Leigh Moore is the birth name of Mandy Moore, a proven sign that her current musical direction is closer to her own heart and desires than 2001’s Mandy Moore. This one is a delightful surprise of alt-country and folk inspired pop gems that are catchy as hell and warm as whiskey.

Bringing well-respected singer-songwriter Lori McKenna on board was a brilliant move. For this album, Moore worked mainly with McKenna and Mike Viola, a singer-songwriter crossover himself (he wrote the songs for music biopic spoof Walk Hard), and it has brought out a thoughtful and playful side to her. The 11 tracks wander through harpsichord-esque piano, eastern European folk inspirations, Golden era strings accompaniment, and the use of Moore’s voice as an instrument itself.

Of course, not every song is pitch-perfectly crafted. “I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week” is so sugary it might have been the immediate follow-up to “Candy” (also, it sounds bizarrely similar to a Crayola Markers’ “Fat or Thin” song campaign circa 1990), and “Pocket Philosopher” owns the embarrassing chorus of “Hey! Come on let’s play/ A song or two or three or four/ Or five if you want more.”

Fortunately, most of the album is dreamy and enthralling from the lullaby-like opener “Merrimack River” and wistful “Indian Summer” to sparse and poetic closer “Bug.” My absolute favourite, however, has to be “Everblue,” a drowsy romance that brings to mind some of Wintersleep’s softer offerings (“People Talk”).

Could new husband Ryan Adams be the muse for her acoustic and roots-based turn? Does it matter? It’s working for the gentle-voiced Moore and it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Track Listing:

1. Merrimack River

2. Fern Dell

3. I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of the Week

4. Pocket Philosopher

5. Song About Home

6. Everblue

7. Merrimack River (Reprise)

8. Love To Love Me Back

9. Indian Summer

10. Nothing Everything

11. Bug