Karla Peterson

Kristen Hall has an acoustic guitar, and she's not afraid to use it. songs about everyday people can be as subversive as a fuzzed-out guitar and a head full of angst.

If Joni Mitchell had taken a moment out for motherhood, she might have raised a daughter like Kristen Hall. Like Mitchell, Hall is a romantic with a skeptical heart and no time for fools.

In "Too Long Running," Hall sings, "I'm not the hang-around kind. I got a fugitive mind." Take that as a warning and a promise, and you've got Hall partially pegged.

As a singer, she's a cross between Tracy Chapman and Carly Simon. As a songwriter, this second album proves Hall is an original. Whether she's giving a lover the boot (the stirring "Empty Promises"), contemplating the resulting solitude (the haunting "Colder"), or wondering how things ever went so wrong ("Safe and Warm"), Hall is forthright, feisty and remarkably pretense-free.

With understated support from producer Don McCollister (who fills in on bass and vocals) and guest notables like Cindy Wilson of the B-52's and Sara Lee of Gang of Four, Hall makes music that is warm, nurturing and defiantly human.

When she ends the rollicking "Peaches" with a simple "Honey I'm sad that you're not here," Hall proves she's as brave as any member of Nirvana. Wanna bet she's nicer, too?

Kristen Hall, Fact and Fiction (Daemon/Sky) *** 1/2