At the Scent of Water

Traci Svensgaard's rich vocal personality captures the devastation that gifted heart surgeon Sam Truelove and his wife, Annie, feel over the loss of their young daughter, made worse because of Sam's tragic misdiagnosis. With bittersweet angst, Svensgaard portrays their separation, Sam's stress, his flawed priorities, and a second bad surgical decision that leaves another young patient on life support. Svensgaard's powerful characterization of Sam's prayers for redemption and a second chance requires Kleenex. Emotional scenes in which Sam returns to the same restaurant, on the same date, at the same each time each year, hoping to find Annie, are especially believable. This modern Job-like drama of loss, hope, and restoration has a surprise and inspirational ending listeners won't see coming. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine