Earlier in her career, Neko Case posed as a dead woman for her album covers. On the front of her fifth studio full-length, Case crouches atop the hood of a car, sword in hand, a slayer with a strong batch of songs and a fighter's will to win. Despite former displays of victimhood, she's been killing since her 1997 debut, The Virginian. Back then, she leaned more on a band, Her Boyfriends, and served up country music without many frills. But that voice! Few are blessed with a throat like Neko's. Most musicians as lucky as she is would probably coast along on this one great gift. Neko Case, however, is not like other musicians.

She proves this yet again on Middle Cyclone, her third excellent record in a row. With 2002's Blacklisted, Case strode out of the shadow of alt-country trappings. On that terrific album, and its worthy 2006 successor, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, she showed the world that she's far more than a powerful vocalist. Neko Case is also a painter of abstract words and a skilled mixer of styles. By the time she's through with them, the sonic ingredients are almost impossible to tease out of the finished product. This applies to genres, of course, and eras as well.

Take the year 1974, for instance. When listening to Middle Cyclone, one doesn't immediately think of the Watergate-era music scene of 35 years ago, and yet the two songs Case covers on her new album were issued that year. Her take on Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" trades out acoustic guitar strums for Ron Mael's keyboards, but is faithful to the original's haunting tone. Then again, nearly everything Neko sings sounds haunted. Her booming voice expands small rooms into immense, echoing cathedrals. Also from '74 is Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me," a tune The Walkmen recently exsanguinated as part of their tribute to Nilsson's Pussy Cats LP. Despite her sweet and spot-on rendition, Case never seems lost in the past. Nor does she modernize these old tunes. Instead, she renders them as timeless as her own material.

Speaking of originals, Neko serves up a dandy dozen of 'em on Middle Cyclone. The album begins with perhaps its strongest cut, "This Tornado Loves You," which Case has stated should be taken at face value: the song really is about being romantically pursued by a devastating force of nature. Whether metaphor or not, when Case bellows, "What will make you believe me?," you know she means it. "People Got a Lotta Nerve" is another album highlight. It bounces along to a jangle-pop groove, while sparing enough room for a few long, slow country tones to slide on in, as well.

Across the album, Case leaves a lot of room for slow notes, daydreaming, and the stretching out of her clarion drawl. Songs like "Polar Nettles," "Vengeance Is Sleeping," and the twinkling title track won't be the first tracks to grab your attention. Once you step inside this record, though, they become just as engrossing as the more immediately engaging tunes. Even at a slower tempo, Neko Case imbues her songs with a warrior's strength. She has matured, but Case is still a fighter. With Middle Cyclone, she notches yet another big win.

Recommended Tracks: "This Tornado Loves You," "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth," "People Got a Lotta Nerve"