Singer/songwriter Shawn Williams has been prolific in recent years, and this is the least strictly country album she’s made—and the most strictly herself. If you know her previous albums, you can expect her to write unflinching songs about the more intense parts of love relationships—which is definitely the case here, and this time she plugs into a more eclectic musical setting that suits the tangled emotions of the songs.

One key element is producer Mark Howard, a longtime Daniel Lanois collaborator who worked on Peter Gabriel’s Us and the Nevilles’ Yellow Moon among other milestones. Like those albums, this one has a layered and textured sound where different instruments emerge in the mix—congas here, popping basslines there. He adds surprise moments like the big solo on “Givin’ Up,” where the guitar is framed by what sounds like a vintage Mellotron.

He also draws the strongest vocals Williams has done on disc and allows her to get dramatic. The songs mostly fall into a clear storyline: After a string of impending-breakup songs, “Lonesome Blues” is the album’s centerpiece, a six-minute ballad that she emotes for all it’s worth. The mood picks up just a bit afterwards: “Stars” is quite explicitly about sex, with a vocal distortion adding to the effect; while “Where I Stand” expresses hope for a new affair, the closest she’s come to writing an outright pop song. (The one outlier is “Society,” a protest about New Orleans gentrification, but it’s one worth including).

Williams visits some dark emotional territory here, but she makes it a fascinating place. And probably a healthier one to visit on record than in real life.