Bassist Charlie Haden made his name in the jazz world, so although it's not surprising that his children, Petra and Josh, also earn their keep as musicians. While Petra's unique vocals grace both Rentals' albums, Josh's eclectic ensemble, Spain, falls closer to the tree. A murky combination of Haden's breathy baritone and precise, plodding balladry, this outfit's first release, 1995's aptly titled The Blue Moods of Spain, is a smoky, late- night affair-- the soundtrack to a bleary- eyed wait for a phone call that never seems to come.

Comparatively, the band's latest, She Haunts My Dreams, is the morning after-– too few hours of sleep at least solidifying the clarity of loss without showing the generosity to alleviate the rising nausea of realization: I'm alone-- how long will this last? Fear compounds loss as Haden's hauntingly stark repetition presses ceaselessly against temples begging merely for respite. Though Stevie Klassen's assortment of dobro and pedal steel licks lend a cleansing splash of cold water that erases the grime of dried tears, the return of the band's John Cale sensibility renders the exercise futile.

Were there awards doled out for the most fully realized emotion pressed onto disc, surely Haden would stand triumphant over the masses at evening's end. She Haunts My Dreams is indeed haunting, but far from a dream. Its reality is striking, though, and although it most assuredly won't win him any gold records (the clinically depressed aren't known to drop their pocket cash on albums), it's a grand achievement in that most simple sense.

-Neil Lieberman