CHAMBERS, KASEY

Carnival (so named because Chambers felt like she was in the middle of a whirling, colorful Mardi Gras while it was being recorded) explores grungy, full-on rock and roll ('I Got You Now', a duet with You Am I frontman Tim Rogers), upbeat pop (the deliriously happy love song 'Sign on the Door'), blues-rock (the feline, groovy 'Light Up a Candle'), and even club-friendly dance pop (the skittering, atmospheric 'Surrender').

The changes come partially at the urging of her brother and long-time producer Nash Chambers, who suggested two new players join the studio band (alongside longtime bassist Jeff McCormack and guitarist Mark Punch): Midnight Oil's Jim Moginie on electric guitar and keyboards, and The John Butler Trio's Michael Barker on drums. Both musicians brought a fresh perspective to the recording process, with Moginie supplying alternate instrumentation where an acoustic guitar would have sufficed in the past, and Barker busting out the slinkiest rhythms ever heard on a Kasey Chambers record. For the singer - who grew up on a strict diet of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash as a child growing up in the Australian outback, roaming the continent's vast Nullarbor Plain with her mother, brother, and guitar player father, Bill - breaking free from her comfort zone led to new inspiration.

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.