Rigby's quirky vision carries album

Amy Rigby's 1996 album was called Diary of a Mod Housewife, which also happens to serve as an accurate description. On her new Til the Wheels Fall Off, she sings a song where she hopes to fit in her man between the PTA and CNN.\nThough Rigby has a certain wit and a unique voice about her, her style puts her in a competitive music genre. Maybe there have been so many fine singer-songwriter records this year -- The Go-Betweens, Kristin Hersh and Lucinda Williams to name three -- that my standards have risen. Those artists have polished their craft so much that they achieve transcendence. Rigby falls just short, though she's certainly recommended for fans of her previous work.\nHer voice is quavery yet confident, and she carves out melodies from a pleasant mix of accordion, organ and fine understated guitar work where she at least wins her mod stripes if she doesn't outright rock. She isn't razor sharp though, and she falls into patterns of angst that she was supposed to contradict on her previous records. It's really good to know that Rigby the single mom still has romantic desires, but when it turns into overly conventional singer-songwriter stuff, the wheels don't necessarily fall off, they just start to spin.