Having cultivated a reputation as the go-to violin accompanist for dozens of bluegrass, rock, and pop bands (including The Okee Dokee Brothers, Corpse Reviver, Adam Levy, and Steve Kaul & the Brass Kings) Jillian Rae planted her own flag in the musical landscape with the 2013 release of Heartbeat, a confident pop record with subtle nods to her bluegrass and classical pedigrees. Her songs are full of heartache, truth, and often a beguiling sense of playfulness. Rae’s songwriting is not easily pigeonholed, and neither is her playing. You can find her playing country fiddle on one tune, rock guitar on the next, or driving her violin through synthy guitar effects on another.

If Jillian Rae fans thought that Wanderlust might be signal that she’s going country, she has more surprises in store. With the release of her new full length “I can’t be the one you want me to be”, Rae made an even harder pivot. Fans got an early taste of her collaborations with a new lineup and a new producer (The Library Studio’s Matt Patrick), in her cover of Prince’s legendary When Doves Cry. Released as a single, the homage is not only a wholesale rewrite of the tune befitting the towering status of the original, it’s also a marker of a new direction with this new staff on board.

With contributions from Patrick, as well as guitarist and longtime collaborator Eric Martin, bassist Jimmy Osterholt, and drummer Alex Young, “I can’t be the one you want me” to be is saturated in heavy grooves, moody arrangements, and unflinching honesty. And of course her voice, which has never sounded better, more dynamic, or more true than it does on this collection of songs.