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Joan as Police Woman's Damned Devotion arrived not long after Let It Be You, a collaboration with Benjamin Lazar Davis that transformed the melodic motifs of Central African Pygmy music into some of the poppiest songs of Joan Wasser's career. It feels like some of that directness rubbed off on her sixth album; emotionally and musically, Damned Devotion is her most immediate work since Real Life. A handful of these songs seem like they could've appeared on her debut: "Silly Me" is a fine example of her timeless, torchy examinations of heartache, while the luscious title track and "Warning Bell" celebrate love's complexities. However, it's the album's bravely vulnerable spirit that recalls Real Life more than its sound, which is surprisingly -- and refreshingly -- adventurous.