Undaunted by the departure of Tanya Donelly to form her own group, Belly, Kristen Hersh continued Throwing Muses as a trio on the band's fourth album, Red Heaven. The pared-down lineup gives rock songs like "Furious" and "Backroad" a more powerful, muscular sound and pop tracks like "Dirty Water" and "Firepile" a crisp, spacious feel. Overall, Red Heaven is the Muses' most rock-oriented album since House Tornado, especially on songs like the Bob Mould duet "Dio," "The Visit," and "Rosetta Stone," but the band's pace has slowed into a slinky, winding groove that is more solid and forceful than the Read more on Last.fm.
