But it's only been four years!

You know, an Annie Lennox album comes around about as often as a Sade album (nah, not that irregularly, but you get my point). Annie's last effort was 2003's Bare, an album that--although it had moments of beauty--is not the one I go back to (that one is Diva, which actually has achieved the rare quality of sounding better than it did 15 years ago).

So when I learned that Annie Lennox was releasing a new album, I was like, "Wait, so soon?" And when I first heard the leadoff single for this new work, "Dark Road," I was like, 'ehhh...'

I admit I wasn't the first one out at the crack o'dawn yesterday to pick up this fourth solo album, Songs of Mass Destruction. I held off until today, because frankly, I wasn't that into the idea, or the concept (one more aging diva giving us a collection of protest songs?). Well, I'm pleased to admit I was wrong.

Sure, Annie Lennox is political. Sure, she's enigmatic. But goddamn, can this girl sing. I have to say that Songs is possibly some of her finest vocal work, maybe ever. Maybe it's Glen Ballard, the man who produced the insanely successful Jagged Little Pill for Alanis What's-'er-Name 12 years ago (yeah, you read it right, 12 years ago). Ballard decided to drop the overly-theatrical production of Annie's last album and concentrate on her voice. Which works just beautifully.

This album is topical without being dated. It's got the right mix of heavy ballads and uptempo, gospel-ly rock and dance tracks. She sounds great and looks, as you can see, gorgeous.

Standout tracks: "Dark Road," "Coloured Bedspread" (even though as my friend pointed out, the lyrics make quite little sense), "Ghosts in My Machine" and the sublime "Fingernail Moon."

Oh, and I'm sure you've heard about the song "Sing," which Annie wrote to call attention to the plight of the HIV epidemic in Africa. It features 23 female artists from Madonna (who has a verse of her own) to KT Tunstall to k.d. lang to Gladys Knight to Celine Di-fawkin-on. The concept is great, but, I dunno, it doesn't do much for me.

Well worth a download, this album. It grows on you. Trust me.