Returning after a four-year gap, Brooklyner {|Margaret Glaspy|} takes somewhat of a left turn on {|Devotion|}, her sophomore outing for {|ATO Records|}. Largely abandoning the edgy, electric guitar-based confessionalism of her 2016 debut, {|Emotions and Math|}, she takes a lusher and more varied approach here, turning a collection of ambitious love songs which range from sweet and intimate to thorny and sensual. Even before her debut, {|Glaspy|} had begun to make her name on a personal brand of smart, literate guitar pop with a bit of a bluesy growl not unlike {|Fiona Apple|}'s, though ultimately a shade less dangerous. She applies that same emotional intelligence to {|Devotion|}'s amorous themes on standouts like the elegant "Heartbreak" and "Consequences" whose dizzying experimental production resembles love's woozy disorientation. She can still write a solid pop song, too, with the laid-back groove of "Stay with Me" among her best. The most noticeable evolution from her earlier work, however, is {|Devotion|}'s dense mix of electronic beats and flourishes along with the introduction of piano and keyboards which drive many of the songs. The tricky guitar playing that was a highlight of her debut is significantly downplayed and the fussy production sometimes gets in the way of songs that might better represent themselves in a more organic manner. On the other hand, {|Glaspy|} has more or less tamped down her previously distracting vocal affectations in favor of a more sonorous style that really suits the material. Overall, she adds a handful of unique entries into the love song canon while pushing her own body of work forward. ~ Timothy Monger