Honesty has always been one of Melissa Ferrick’s trademarks as a singer/songwriter. She ups the ante on The Truth Is, dissecting matters of the heart with an unflinching hand. Ferrick has established herself as a confident, often edgy artist over the past two decades; this time out, she enhances her visceral thrust with creative arrangements that embroider her dominant acoustic guitar with pedal steel and horns. This expanded sonic palette underscores the volatile emotions and finely etched imagery that typify her lyrics. The country ballad “Wreck Me” (sung with Paula Cole) and the blues-tinged shuffle “Pity Song” show her intelligence and passion as an artist. She brings an erotic tension to “Home” and a sensual delirium to “Go Easy on Me.” For all their darker overtones, there’s a sense of optimism to these songs, heard in tracks like “Love Ain’t Afraid” (featuring Natalia Zuckerman on vocals and dobro) and the title number (an anthem for anxious but committed lovers everywhere). Ferrick’s voice captures the bitter and sweet of her music with a mix of tenderness and strength.