You"d be a hardened, dense soul if you didn"t fall immediately for Greg Brown"s "Cept You and Me Babe," the opening track to Covenant, the latest in an astounding string of gems mixing blues, country, and folk with Brown"s understated wit and tangy insights. "Half the people you see these days are talking on cell phones / Driving off the road and bumping into doors," he sings sardonically. "I guess nobody"s lonely anymore / "cept you and me babe." One of many such poignantly twisted lines, Brown and a pared-down, mostly acoustic band deliver a captivating set of new songs (including a delightful bonus "buried" track called "Marriage Chant"). His first record in three years is rich with deftly conveyed emotion, craft, and an elegant funkiness as raw and mature as Brown"s own deep pipes. Produced by guitarist Bo Ramsey, Brown"s new work bites and snarls, caresses and cackles under Ramsey"s understated musical settings. --Martin Keller