Southland of the Heart

by Gregory McIntoshMaria Muldaur's 1998 release, Southland of the Heart, offers up more of the funky, "feel good," blues-inflected light rock numbers she began to really explore in the early '90s. While her take on the genre isn't bad, Muldaur's voice has a limited range, noticeable a couple of times in the opening number, "Ring Me Up," where she strays outside of her comfort zone, and it's moments like these that keep her from turning out an album in the same ranks as Bonnie Raitt or John Hiatt. However, songs like the barbershop quartet-fused "Get Up, Get Ready" and the atmospheric, Greg Brown-penned ballad "Someday When We're Both Alone" prove that when she chooses material within her vocal range, she can shine just as bright.