Sophie B. Hawkins The Crossing album coverThis is the long awaited new album from another veteran of the music business, silent for ten years. Lest we forget, Hawkins includes among the bonus tracks some acoustic versions of Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover and As I Lay Me Down. Question is, was this worth the ten year wait?

No doubt about the quality of the song writing or about the interpretation of the songs, Hawkins remains an impressive, emotional performer. But the years have not been kind to Hawkins voice. She reminds me of Elkie Brooks without the power; a husky vibrato that sounds like she's finished a singalong marathon on whiskey and cigarettes; a one-time great white voice that may be past its best. Read more of this post