JOSE GONZALEZ - In Our Nature (Sealed) (LP)

On his sophomore album, the Swedish singer and guitarist takes the basic elements of an acoustic troubadour's craft and explores their possibilities, not only as ingredients of songs, but as sounds to be enjoyed in their own right. In Our Nature is a collection of sparse acoustic recordings. But it's a more thoughtful and atmospheric work than either Veneer or last year's Stay in the Shade EP-- one that suggests Gonz?lez has enough talent to make good on the lofty Pink Moon comparisons. And for the first time, the cover-- an urgent acoustic rendition of Massive Attack's "Teardrop"-- isn't even the album's best track.