Sun Dirt Water

On their playful, rock-driven fifth studio album, The Waifs take a cue from former tour partner Bob Dylan, going electric with wild abandon. After joining the legendary troubadour on the road in 2003 to support their acclaimed folk-pop collection <i>Up All Night</i>, the beloved Western Australian folk trio let loose on 2007’s rollicking <i>Sun Dirt Water</i>. Guitarist Joshua Cunningham takes on most of the songwriting, injecting the band’s rustic melodies with raucous riffs and bluesy licks via harmonica-soaked anthems (“How Many Miles”), organ-rich stompers (“Stay”) and feel-good country jams (“Eternity”). Meanwhile, sisters Vikki Thorn and Donna Simpson prove they’re natural rockers, lending a heavy dose of soul and seduction—especially on Simpson’s devilish bar-room romper “Sad Sailor Song” and Thorn’s jazzy title track, an earthy ode to everlasting love. Recorded in Nashville, the album gets a boost from notable Music City session musicians. Keys master Reese Wynans bangs hardest on the gospel-touched torch song “Sweetest Dream”, while Jeff Coffin slips in some mood-setting clarinet on the old-timey ukulele lullaby “Feeling Sentimental”, a winking, unplugged ode to nostalgia.