These have been desperate times for Mary Chapin Carpenter. Having being seriously ill, first with a blocked lung and subsequently with depression, her marriage then came to an end and her beloved father died.

Reeling from these blows, Carpenter has recorded her finest album in years. Once again the themes of her beautiful songs, the fragility of life, the abyss of loneliness and the fleeting nature of happiness, are eternal. This time around, they have an extra poignancy and urgency. For the past decade, this hugely talented singer-songwriter has been moving away from the radio-friendly country pop of He Thinks He’ll Keep Her and Passionate Kisses towards more introspective folk songs and Ashes And Roses continues this progression.

Her warm and intimate voice, slightly lower than before, has never sounded better on songs such as Transcendental Reunion, The Swords We Carried, the uplifting Don’t Need Much To Be Happy, Soul Companion (with James Taylor) and the sublime Fading Away. These songs not only address her hopes and fears, but ours too.