Doug Hoekstra / Around the Margins (Inbetweens/Innerstate) By Fred Mills

There's always been something precious about Nashville folk/alt-country artist Doug Hoekstra, now on album four. Not "precious" in the cute/pejorative sense; more along the lines of "indefinably rare." Among American singer-songwriters, he's possessed of an uncommonly stringent work ethic, and the hard work is paying off critically (he's rarely seen a bad review) and, more importantly, artistically.  "Lost Among the Ruins," is a fatalistic/optimistic song about growing older and more reflective, some straightforward strum 'n' jangle is offset by overlapping harmony vocals and snatches of spoken dialogue cropping up in the background as if to suggest conflicting internal monologues. The atmospheric plea for understanding and social justice that is "Birmingham Jail" wouldn't be out of place on a Daniel Lanois/Emmylou Harris project, its serene vibe undercut by an unsettling feeling of unfinished business. And "Houses Flying," with edgy drum loops, groaning bass and cello and off-kilter samples (street sounds, construction noises, Hoekstra's parents talking), is the perfect sonic analogue to the lyrical story line in which a visit to the hometown prompts a myriad of childhood memories. Elsewhere Hoekstra touches down in Dylan territory (the wry, lost-love sentiments of "Desdemona") and even submits a Dylan cover.

By seeking out eclectic territories that aren't hewn in by your typical singer-songwriter barbed wire while maintaining a solid narrative focus  -- think a perfectionism-obsessed Lou Reed gone folkie, or a more tuneful Tom Waits in a less caustic mood -- Hoekstra defies the common wisdom that says practitioners of his chosen genre will forever be destined for the coffee-house and bookstore circuit.

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