Last time we talked to bleak alt-country balladeer Mary Gauthier, she vowed her next album would be a lighter, less depressing affair. Well, either Mary changed her mind, or we've got very different definitions of "lighter."

Mercy Now, the Louisiana singer-songwriter's fourth album and major-label debut, is yet another broken-hearted journey down the darkest dead-end backroads life has to offer. But for a downward spiral, it sure is one gorgeous and unforgettable trip.

As always, the vagabonds in cheap motels, the abandoned lovers who just can't let go, the don't-give-a-damn alkies and the eternally lonesome drifters who populate these 10 songs seem drawn from Gauthier's own criminal, narcotic-laced past.

As usual, she tells their stories with an unflinching honesty that imbues them with a downtrodden beauty and unassailable dignity. And with the help of returning producer Gurf Morlix, she once again sets these achingly compelling stories against rough-hewn, no-frills roots and country backdrops that recall the finest work of Morlix's former employer Lucinda Williams.

When it comes to heartbreak, it doesn't get any better than Gauthier. Or any darker.

Here's hoping it never gets any lighter -- no matter what Mary wants.

Track Listing:

1. Falling Out of Love
2. Mercy Now
3. Wheel Inside the Wheel
4. I Drink
5. Just Say She's a Rhymer
6. Prayer Without Words
7. Your Sister Cried
8. Empty Spaces
9. Drop in a Bucket
10. It Ain't the Wind, It's the Rain