Jonatha Brooke seems to be cursed with the mantle of being the best singer/songwriter/performer that nobody's ever heard of. Hopefully her newest release, Steady Pull, will be the bolt from the blue that will finally reward her with the commercial recognition that she certainly deserves.

Steady finds J Bro in vintage form--sporting 12 new tracks that shine a very flattering light on her considerable talent. It would certainly appear that her Label is taking her serious this time out. To wit, legendary producer Bob Clearmountain is onboard to share knob twisting duties with J Bro--obviously with a Mission Statement heavy on aiming her musical pitch a little closer to the strike zone. Added star power is also brought to the project by way of former Crowded House lead singer Neil Finn, who harmonizes on "New Dress."

Happily nothing appears to be lost, in terms of her artistic integrity. After giving it a healthy number of spins, I'm pleased to report that Steady Pull is every bit as strong as her last studio album, 10 Cent Wings, and that one was a masterpiece.

Since you've never heard of her, let me just say that Jonatha's music is very comparable to Shawn Colvin or Patty Larkin and her melody structuring will remind you of Alanis Morrisette. Miss Morrisette has listened to her share of Jonatha Brooke, to be sure.