THERE’S a wonderful sense of drama on the closing segment of All I Want, the second song on Sarah Blasko’s third and best album. “All I want,” she sings breathily as the music subsides, “is to one day come to know.. . my … self.” As she tails off, the Ennio Morricone – like vibrant strings and low percussive rumble return. One can picture Clint Eastwood riding off into the sunset to contemplate his oneness, tumbleweeds in his wake. Blasko has come to know at least one thing about herself since her last effort, 2006’s What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have. It’s that her voice, given much more room here than before, is a powerfully seductive instrument. It soars all over As Day Follows Night, a commanding presence set atop a loose assortment of keyboards, drums, double bass and the occasional banjo. There are strings and brass, too, but precious little of her first instrument, guitar. This new environment has freed up her voice. More than that, the largely piano-based songs are the most original and confidently performed of Blasko’s career. Some credit is due to producer Bjorn Yttling, who creates the shimmering dramatic underlay over which Blasko’s vocals fly. There’s a familiar sadness in her tales of failed and unrealised relationships, no more than on the closing Night and Day, a beautifully bleak few moments of folk-pop. Mostly, however, the music is a celebratory counter to Blasko’s melancholy. All 12 songs are exquisite. An album of the year contender.

lain Shedden