Strange Angel, a stripped, rambling collection of songs for the roots junkie, is a collaboration between Aaron Raitiere and Julie Stein that ricochets from tough to tender. In 10 tracks, Raitiere is both unapologetically tawdry and artistically romantic, though the lyrics – no matter what tune he happens to be singing – are meticulously crafted but sound natural. The recording starts off in Mudcrutch fashion with “Crazy Bout You Moon” filled with dark and lush fingerplucking as Raitiere spills his desire for the “queen of the fireflies” like he’s telling an old American folktale. But then brush off the gypsy romance and prepare to switch gears for tracks like “I Wanna Love You Hard” and “Hot Mess” (co-written with Jed Watts) in which lust is unrestrained. This is where some of the songs get ridiculous, like “Horse Power,” and there’s something in Raitiere’s overwhelmingly country accent that made me question its authenticity. But even so, the rhymes are good and there’s a humor in songs like “All Hat & No Cattle” which is like a country version of Blondie’s “Rip Her to Shreds.”

The recording doesn’t hide behind a lot of fine-tuning; it sounds like you’re in the room with the artist, and Raitiere is fine with sticking to the acoustic, focusing instead on the songwriting. If there’s a sameness in the songs, it’s from a lack of instrumental variety. The most appealing aspect of the album is its homelessness. Raitiere knows his roots music and geography, but never picks a place and stays there. A little bit of flavor from every region in America springs up in the music and lyrics, from the southwest to the eastern mountains. It’s when Raitiere sings of the nomadic lifestyle and burning through lovers all over the country that the album really wins you over.