The latest full-length from Sarah Dougher finds a talented singer/songwriter coming into her own. Using the "personal is political" ethos of the Pacific Northwest riot grrrl music scene as her starting point, Dougher has spent the last six years nurturing delicate, folky musical backdrops to complement the beauty and depth of her lyrics. Even on her early self-made cassette tapes, as well on releases by some of her other bands (the Crabs and Cadallaca), it was clear that she possessed a voice that would be hard to ignore.

But the songs on The Bluff reveal her to be a mature songwriter as well. Joined by long-time collaborator Jon Nikki of the Primadonnas on guitar and keyboards and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney and Quasi on drums, Dougher infuses this new batch of songs — mostly about longing and isolation, lost loves, and the difficulty of feeling time pass — with both a country and a pop feel. Nikki’s skilled and detailed guitar work provides an essential anchor, but Dougher hasn’t forgotten her stripped-down roots: "My Kingdom" is lilting, folky, and totally heartwrenching.