A cynic might say that Scout Niblett is 15 years too late for the grunge-meets-feminism thing – a movement led by queenpin Liz Phair and the dozens of other powerful, contemplative, vulnerable singer-songwriters who followed her. Granted, The Calcination of Scout Niblett is the singer’s fifth LP, and she’s shared billing with well-respected names like Songs: Ohia and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. The datedness of Niblett’s sound would be forgivable — nay, welcome — if the songs had one-third the charm of anything from Exile in Guyville.

Strangely, Calcination is frontloaded with its hollowest material. The early songs close in on themselves, sounding unfinished. The album’s second half really picks up, with songs like “Lucy Lucifer” and “Cherry Cheek Bomb” that feature both guitar and drums (a rarity for Niblett).

Niblett’s revelry in the sounds of Nirvana and Sonic Youth can’t be faulted. But her lack of imagination to move even a step outside their boundaries can.