After spending the '90s playing violin with various groups, Joan Wasser reinvented herself as the chameleonic bandleader Joan As Police Woman in the early '00s. By putting herself in the spotlight, she was able to push her fluid, jazzy voice to the forefront of her ornate songs, which encompass languid R&B ("To Be Loved"), shimmering folk (the piano-sprinkled "Hard White Wall"), and whimsical orchestral pop ("The Ride"). As Wasser grew more comfortable as a lead vocalist, Joan As Police Woman's music also grew more confident, incorporating horn-bolstered gospel ("Holy City") and sinewy blues ("Tell Me").