The third album by Milwaukee folkie Francesca rings with a generally more positive, even slyer, frame of mind than her previous Lucky One. Conversely, her prior album was more boisterous with electrified rock band instrumentation, whereas Forever is carried confidently by Francesca and her mostly two-man acoustic band, the 440 Hum. Some of their melodies and arrangements could pass muster as Americana (and occasionally as mainstream country) with fuller instrumentation. But here, the minimalism serves to showcase Francesca’s sometimes affirming, sometimes confrontational lyricism. Vocally, she hits a solid midway point in a continuum of Joan Baez stridency at one end and Ani DiFranco ethereality at the other, and is at least a bit more fun than either of her forebears. Forever primes Francesca for whatever Lilith Fair Sarah McLachlan would contemplate organizing; meanwhile, she does her hometown pretty proud.
