Fridae

Ms Scary took a rare break from her nightly sleepover at Louis Vuitton and camped out instead at HMV (oh, the indignity!) when she heard that her favourite Alaskan chanteuse will be releasing her much-anticipated follow-up to 2003's 0304 on May 2.

When Ms Scary finally laid her French-manicured fingers on Goodbye Alice In Wonderland, she must confess to being distracted by the uncharacteristic cleavage shot and the fact that Ms Jewel Kilcher looked very much like a combination of Reese Witherspoon and Carrie Underwood on her CD cover.

Touted as a "bookend" to 1995's Pieces of You, Ms Kilcher's sixth album signals a return to her introspective pop-folk roots and chronicles her life from her childhood in Alaska, her brush with fame and its trappings, as well as her fragile relationships - before coming full circle to her current contented life on a ranch in Stephenville, Texas.

Fans of the singer-songwriter-poet-painter who was once crowned by Blender magazine as "rock's sexiest poet" would be glad to know that Goodbye Alice In Wonderland contains folk-tinged tracks such as "Again and Again," "Long Slow Slide" and "Goodbye Alice" which showcases her exquisite all-a-trembling voice and sparkling songwriting.

With the exception of the aforementioned tracks and an updated version of "Fragile Heart" from 0304, the rest of Ms Kilcher's latest release unfortunately comprises middle-of-the-road tracks such as "Good Day" where she converses with herself; "Words Get In The Way" where she sounds as if she was tiptoeing through a thorny briar patch during the chorus; and "1,000 Miles Away" where she drags out every last note and attempts to out-warble herself.

After all that's been said, Ms Scary would like to extend her congratulations to Ms Kilcher for making it to People magazine's "100 Most Beautiful" list, and perhaps advise her still favourite singer to stop being overly fixated on reusing writing samples from her Poetry 101 course and focus instead on producing the memorable melodies which she has deservedly earned a reputation for.

Scary's Selected Spins: "Again and Again;" "Long Slow Slide;" "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland;" "Drive To You" and "Fragile Heart."