Dychology 101

Album Review

As its title suggests, this is the album in which one of pop's most underrated singer/songwriters (responsible for the 1991 dance-pop masterpiece "Shoulda Known Better") comes out of her personal closet on record and crafts a stylistically diverse, musically fascinating tapestry of what her life is like today. There's the heartbreaking confessional (the deeply moving "Still"), the anecdotal "Hattie's Bar," the saucy "You Never Will," and even a cover of an old nightclub chestnut ("Do It to Me") to appeal to fans of her earlier dance music. The tone is much more singer/songwriterly this time around and Dustin shows she's up for the task, creating a fascinating pop masterpiece from her deeply personal experiences. As a singer, songwriter, and storyteller, Alta Dustin ranks up there with the best of the best. And this is the album with which she redefined herself in a beautiful, endlessly listenable fashion. Essential listening.