Recorded at BearTracks, Suffern, New York; Blue Jay, Carlisle, Massachusetts; Clinton Studios, New York.

Personnel: Jonatha Brooke (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Ingrid Graudins (vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals); Bruce Cockburn (vocals, acoustic guitar); Duke Levine (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, lap steel guitar, mandocello, mandolin); Eileen Ivers (violin, electric violin); Shawn Pelton (violin, drums, snare drum); Charles Libove, David Nadien (violin); Olivia Koppell (viola); Jesse Levy (cello); Anders Bostrom (piccolo); Jerry O'Sullivan (Uilleann pipe); Alain Mallet (accordion, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, shaker, programming, drum programming); Michael Rivard (upright bass, electric bass); Jay Bellerose (drums, bass drum, djembe, dumbek); Abe Laboriel, Jr. (drums, dumbek, shaker, tambourine, percussion); Ben Wisch (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Ben Wisch.

Recording information: Bear Tracks, Suffern, NY; BearTracks, Suffern, NY; Blue Jay Recording Studio, Carlisle, MA; Blue Jay, Carisle, MA; Clinton Studios, New York, NY.

Photographers: Tom Tavee; Brian Velenchenko.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Tom Legoff; Jerry O'Sullivan.

Arrangers: Duke Levine; Michael Rivard; Abe Laboriel, Jr.; Jonatha Brooke; Alain Mallet; Ben Wisch; Ben Wittman.

On the first two albums by the Story, Jonatha Brooke wrote all the songs, sang lead vocals, and played acoustic guitar. The other half of the Story, Jennifer Kimball, merely sang background vocals. So one might expect that the first Story album without Kimball (and the first with Brooke's name in front of the band's) would not sound that different. But it does, and Kimball's delicately dissonant harmonies are missed. Fortunately, that's not the only thing that's changed. Brooke's melodies are more catchy than ever, and her passionate lyrics plumb the thematic depths of innocence and trust with newfound maturity. The mellow Latin-influenced folk-pop of the Story's past is replaced here with an energetic, glossy full-band pop sound. Brooke's expert backing musicians jump unjarringly from edgy guitar rock to southern Bonnie Raitt-isms to postmodern classical string arrangements. ~ Darryl Cater

When the Story broke up, Jonatha Brooke kept the name for recognition. Most of her fans and critical supporters knew that she had always been the chief songwriter in the duo. PLUMB, released on the now-defunct Blue Thumb Records label, marked the beginning of Brooke's solo career. Though PLUMB lacks Jennifer Kimball's able, supple soprano and the creative percussion that helped give THE ANGEL IN THE HOUSE its eclectic sound, Brooke more than makes up for these absences.

Brooke stretches and tests her songwriting, deftly exploring various styles. Her soprano is an amazing instrument in its own right, and it doesn't hurt that her songwriting has taken on such a strong but subtle sense of self-determinism. Brooke also brings touring companion Ingrid Graudins aboard as a backup vocalist. PLUMB's tunes range from the Bonnie Raitt-inflected bluesy attitude of "Where Were You?" to the veering, stop-start tempo changes of "Charming." "Inconsolable," a jazzy and emotional piano contemplation, nears the seven-minute mark. Bruce Cockburn provides guest vocals on "War," and there's even a quick, whimsical jig for extra variety.