Cotton

sam baker has been working on a trilogy of albums about mercy, and cotton is the final remarkable entry in that project (his 2004 debut mercy kicked it off, followed three years later by pretty world). indeed, it's an ambitious project for a songwriter to commit to one theme for three albums, but baker delivers swimmingly yet again. this is not an album to stick on in the background. while the music is lovely and inventive, and songs like "who's gonna be your man" (purchase/download) can come off lighthearted and whimsical, there is so much going on in this record that it pays off much more to sit and intently listen. even better if you listen intently several times. the stories baker tells are set to grow over time. his instrumentation, while sparse, is creative and surprising.