Pamela Means’ latest album is as intimate as a whispered conversation between lovers in bed—or an animated discussion at the kitchen table over coffee. Living now in the Boston area, the Milwaukee expatriate achieves that intimacy up close to the mike—just her voice and her starkly strummed acoustic guitar. No frills or tricks allowed. Her songs recall family memories and erotic encounters with equal ease. However, she also has the state of the union on her mind, especially the toll of being black in America, the denial of democratic ideals and the fatigue that comes from the sense that problems aren’t being solved—and perhaps are getting worse. Plainfield is a powerful set of performances in the post-Dylan folk tradition.
