Album: Jim White, Where it Hits You (Loose)

The opener is called "Chase the Dark Away" and its defiant jauntiness sets the tone for an album that refuses to crumble in spite of the fact it was recorded as White's wife "walked out the door... into the arms of a younger man".

In the 15 years since Wrong-Eyed Jesus, White's seen many a sad-sack alt.country singer come and go. Tracks such as "Epilogue to a Marriage" here, serve as a reminder that there's always room for the real thing, and you'll know it when it hits you.