Mortal City by Dar Williams

Mortal City, Dar Williams' second album, came out on Razor & Tie in January 1996, and it's the sound of the singer-songwriter from Mount Kisco, New York, opening the windows. Her first album, The Honesty Room, was entirely acoustic; this time electric backing creeps into a number of songs, most of all "The Ocean" and "The Blessings".

It's still folk at heart, with sharp, literate storytelling and a clear, unhurried voice, but the added color gives the songs more room to breathe. "As Cool as I Am", which got a music video, and "The Christians and the Pagans" were the singles that year. Joan Baez, one of the artists Williams has toured with, later covered "February" on her album Gone from Danger. End of the Summer came next.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.