Entertainment Weekly (9/13/02, p.156) - "...In this trans-American setting, Case emerges as a roots powerhouse..." - Rating: A-
Uncut (1/03, p.95) - Ranked #35 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year"
Uncut (11/02, p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...BLACK LISTED is a brilliantly twisted odyssey of unrequited love...Stylistically exultant...A candidate for country album of the year."
Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.76) - Ranked #37 in Mojo's "Best Albums of 2002" - "Her best album yet....The album places her at the top of the new country diva pile..."
Personnel: Neko Case (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 6-string guitar, piano, drums, tambourine, percussion, background vocals); Joey Burns (guitar, acoustic guitar, tenor guitar, cello, accordion, pump organ, vibraphone, upright bass, electric bass); Dallas Good (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, baritone guitar); Jon Rauhouse (steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, Hawaiian steel guitar, banjo, steel bowls); John Rauhouse (steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, drums); Brian Connelly (baritone guitar); Howe Gelb (piano, organ, pump organ, Wurlitzer organ); Tom V. Ray (upright bass); John Convertino (drums); Kelly Hogan, Mary Margaret O'Hara (background vocals).
More subdued than its predecessor (FURNACE ROOM LULLABY), Neko Case's 2002 album, BLACKLISTED, is the singer/songwriter's first outing not co-billed to "Her Boyfriends." Backed by a cadre of intuitive musicians that includes multi-instrumentalist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino (both of Calexico) and their Giant Sand peer Howe Gelb (on various keys), Case offers up a largely down-tempo set that's steeped in a dreamy, noir-like atmosphere. The haunting "Deep Red Bells" masterfully showcases the range of Case's resonant voice, while "Look for Me (I'll Be Around)" evokes the cinematic mood of a vintage black-&-white thriller as narrated from the perspective of the femme fatale. Even BLACKLISTED's most upbeat moments--the soaring "Lady Pilot" and the twangy "Stinging Velvet"--carry a palpable sense of melancholy, resulting in a record that's in line with Nick Cave's dark aesthetic. (In fact, Case would go on to open for Cave on tour, and the two would become label-mates on Anti- with subsequent releases.) Arguably Case's most focused and consistent album, BLACKLISTED is the perfect portal into her gorgeously half-lit world.