In the Wind (Ah Ha Music, 2011)

Even though she is blessed with a voice tailor-made for honky tonk greatness, Heather Myles nearly managed to fall off the country music radar in the years following the release of her 2005 album "Rum and Radio," her final recording for HighTone Records. Now, Myles is back with a solid studio album that ought to open some ears with the power and diversity of her vocal abilities.

Myles is at her very best when belting out the kind of honky tonk music that fits more comfortably on a barroom jukebox than it does on a country radio station. "In The Wind" contains quite a few songs that fit that very description, including the twangy drinking song, Broke And Broken Hearted, the rowdy post break-up anthem Smokin', Drinkin', Dancin' Again and Walk On By, which offers a first-person perspective of a clandestine love affair.

When Did You Stop Loving Me and Shoulder To Cry On two of the nine Myles-penned songs on this album, are both modern day classic country standouts.

Myles stretches her artistic wings a bit throughout this12-song set, resulting in some of the album's best moments. The classic rock vibe of Pretty Poison makes it sound like a lost track from Roy Orbison's catalog and the bluesy album-closing My Baby's Good To Me proves that she has the versatility to thrive in multiple genres.

Also, a distinctive south-of-the-border feel sets apart both Myles' rendition of the oft-covered Vaya Con Dios and Don't Call Me, a dance-inducing and accordion-driven duet with Willie Nelson.