Further In is one of Greg Brown's most sparsely produced albums, and consequently it's one of his most intense. Whether Brown is painting in darker shades (the search for grace in a corrupted world on "Where Is Maria," a man's bitter struggle with himself on "Small Dark Movie") or operating in sunnier climes (the romantic reverie "Hey Baby Hey"), the emotions have an up-close impact. In this stripped-down setting, the unique accompaniment of Kelly Joe Phelps' "lap slide guitar" (an acoustic guitar played like a lap steel) is especially bewitching as it wraps around Brown's impossibly deep, oaky vocal tones.