For all the attention that was paid to her 2012 break-throughalbum Tramp, Sharon Van Etten returned to the studio ready andeager to turn another corner, delve deeper, and write with morehonesty and vulnerability than ever. It's a unique power of VanEtten's; she creates a bond with the listener that few contemporarymusicians can match. The result of that effort was Are We There, aself-produced album of exceptional intimacy, sublime generosity,and immense breadth. Are We There turns ten this year and reasserts itself as a one ofher most powerful and timeless collections. It is clear from theopening chords in the first song, "Afraid of Nothing", that we arewitnessing a new awareness, a sign of Van Etten in full stride,writing, producing, and performing from a place that seems almostmythical, were it not so touchable and real. Always direct, andnever shying away even from the most personally painful narratives,many of the songs deal with seemingly impossible decisions,anticipation, and then resolution. She sings of the nature of desire,memory, of being lost, emptiness, of promises and loyalty, fear andchange, of healing and the true self, violence and sanctuary, waiting,of silence. Amidst all that truly brutal honestly, Van Etten findsmoments of levity, as she always does. "Every Time the Sun ComesUp" started out as a lark but lifts the album at it's close, completesthe world she's let us into, and resets us gently for whatever mightfollow. It has, since then, become an indelible staple of Van Etten'slive shows. It's enough to live your music without taking on the role ofproducer as well, but Van Etten knew it was time to make a recordentirely on her terms. At the same time, Van Etten did recognizethis didn't mean having to go it alone, and she assembled a beloved,now-celebrated community to bring her vision to life. To record,Van Etten found a kindred spirit in veteran music producer StewartLerman. Originally working together on Boardwalk Empire, theygently moved into new roles, rallying around the idea of making arecord together in Lerman's studio in New Jersey. Lerman's studioexpertise gave Van Etten the freedom to make Are We There theway she imagined. Van Etten also enlisted the individual talents ofher band, consisting of Heather Woods Broderick, Doug Keith andZeke Hutchins, and brought in friends Dave Hartley and AdamGranduciel from The War on Drugs, Jonathan Meiberg(Shearwater), Jana Hunter (Lower Dens), Peter Broderick,Mackenzie Scott (Torres), Stuart Bogie, Jacob C. Morris andMickey Freeze. The incomparable Richard Swift brought it allhome, working with Van Etten on the final mix. The artist who speaks in such a voice is urging us to do something,to take hold and to go deeper. Living in this way, the questions oflife remain alive, as close and steady as breathing. Many of theballads of old are as dark as pitch, and people for whom the issuesof life and death were as vivid as flame wrote them. You could turnoff the electricity, remove all the instruments and Sharon's voiceand words would remain. They connect her to the mystic stratumwhich flows just beneath the everyday, they are as powerful todayas ten years ago, and they're sure to endure for years to come.