The Scoop: No love for the record industry here. The album's centerpiece, "Mad Magdaline," reads like a story about the murder of a bastardly record exec, but metaphorically serves as a grandly epic call-to-arms for musicians to circumvent the big labels. "What about the Tom Waits'?" Terran asks (through her character Magdaline). "Couldn't I have an audience like them?" Terran herself is much less Waits than Tori Amos, from vocal rhythms to piano prominence. But even Amos-despite her successes-is hardly a radio darling. Likewise, while it's certainly imaginable (and likely) that Terran's fanbase will continue to spiderweb progressively farther out from her Santa Barbara base, she'll never be on heavy rotation and probably won't be courted by the suits. Which is perfectly OK, of course, and the album works best when it accepts this and moves on. The bulk of The Musician is teeming with compelling bitterness and frustration-even the soulful, charming "Sweet Love" ends markedly less upbeat than it begins-but Terran's musical arrangement have a luxurious, sometimes even majestic depth.

Highlight Tracks: "Sweet Love" and "Liberty Lunch"