Time for Mercy

by Roch ParisienJann Arden's debut, Time For Mercy, features 11 songs all focused on relationships, but with an uncommon intensity of commitment. When she sings the chorus of the passionate and intriguing "I Would Die For You," you believe every syllable -- just as when she delivers the bad news of "I Just Don't Love You Anymore." Piano and Arden's own acoustic guitar work provide the main backing, with electric instrumentation adding subtle flourishes. Little Village drummer Jim Keltner anchors the rhythm section. A lonesome harmonica wail and the sweet bite of pedal steel color "We Do Strange Things" and "The Way Things Are Going" respectively. Strings are used to heighten the title track's emotional peak rather than drenching it in syrup.