*** 10,000 Maniacs

LOVE AMONG THE RUINS

(Geffen)

10,000 Maniacs are currently fighting a losing battle to re-establish themselves commercially without Natalie Merchant. Still, this is their best album since Merchant got carried away with herself -- in other words, their best in at least 10 years. New singer Mary Ramsey is as warm as Merchant was aloof, giving the band a heart and a personality they've never had before. Her emotionally unpretentious lyrics are also an improvement on Merchant's clumsily topical ones. And with original guitarist/songwriter John Lombardo returning, they've shifted back to their folkish origins.

Athens-based producer John Keane adds sonic touches (phased keyboards, shimmering 12-strings) borrowed from R.E.M.'s bag of tricks. Ace writer Jules Shear pitches in on a few tunes. But the band wrote the standout "All That Never Happens" -- one of the prettiest tunes in the Maniacs catalogue -- with no outside help. Releasing a cover song, Roxy Music's "More Than This," as the first single may have been a copout, but it's a gorgeous version. Ramsey gets to the essence of the tune, which is exactly the opposite of what happened when Merchant tackled the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen tune "Because the Night."

-- Brett Milano