The confessional singer-songwriter is not ordinarily a performer to my taste, but Lynn Miles, whom I heard for the first time on this CD, does the style honorably.

These are songs of adult experience -- loneliness, heartbreak, sexuality, escape -- that neither cloy nor collapse into narcissistic obsessiveness. They sound real, as in vividly drawn stories and emotions from recognizable life.

Miles is a strong, expressive singer, especially effective on nourishing excursions such as "Night Drive," "8 Hour Drive" and "This is the Night." Though I approached this recording with a certain skepticism, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a significant -- if so far overlooked -- talent.

Let's hope this CD gets Miles the attention she deserves south of the Canadian border.