Eszter Balint has one of those voices that make you sit up and take notice. Warm and, at moments, abrasive, her vocals are full, well engineered, and perfectly placed amidst a flurry of varying style, instrumentation, and rhythm, while creating lyrical landscapes that are imaginative and intriguing, without being pretentious. Balint (whom you might remember as the actress who played Eva in the film Stranger Than Paradise)is a well-travelled and experienced musician (raised in Hungary and having travelled around Europe with her performer parents), and this comes through in her singing and songwriting.

Musically, the album walks that narrow divide between bluesy rock 'n' roll and alt-country. Though most bands who might fall along this line end up sounding contrived or repetitive, Balint stomps it flat, as much at home in avant-garde rock as folky country rhythms. Inevitable comparisons to Ani Difranco are fair, as there are definite similarities both vocally and musically, but Balint has acheived a unique feel on Mud. Her eccentric style places her in a unique position to garner attention from fans of Difranco, but also of Nick Cave or Tom Waits. There is even an element of Ella Fitzgerald in her sound, something comfortable and striking that cannot be denied.

The addition of strings, particularly violins, are a welcome treat, and the album flows from style to style, song to song, effortlessly. This album will likely be overlooked by the mainstream press, which is a shame; Eszter Balint has managed to create a record that acheives most or all of what her more popular contemporaries have failed to for the last several years.

-Dave Mandell