It?s been a long four years since Polly Jean Harvey, aka PJ Harvey, released her last album, ?Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea?, but the response by critics and die-hard fans of the British post-punk/alternative rock goddess has been unanymously positive. It certainly has been well worth the wait ? 'Uh Huh Her' possibly being her best offering yet, or at least since her second album, 1993?s ?Rid of Me?.

What makes the album so special is that it brings together all the best elements of Harvey?s always uncompromising and powerful output over the last 12 years or so. The result is a lovely, textured mix of hard and soft, trademark PJ angst layered with her equally characteristic touches of tenderness. One minute she's howling like a banshee in 'Who the F**k', or hollering "turn off the radio" in 'Radio oh oh', and the next getting all sweet and wistful on us with some rather beautiful tracks like 'The Darker Days of Me and Him'. In between she's popped in some poignant little "fillers" like the sound of seagulls crying in the distance.

It?s no secret that Harvey (herself deeply protective about her private life) has endured life?s darker moments, and while she?s shied away from revealing all to prying hacks, her sometimes achingly personal songwriting has provided much of an inlet into her inner workings. And it?s this that has attracted so many to her music, being such an outpouring of emotions in their rawest, most exposed form. Harvey?s 1992 debut, ?Dry?, remains one of the most intense, but shockingly beautiful, listening experiences.

The came 95?s ?To Bring You My Love? with its gorgeous ballads of love and all its shadows, followed by her own personal favourite album, 98?s heart-wrenching ?Is This Desire?, the production of which she claims took it all out of her. Not one to sit back and get others to do the work, this multi-talented artist does it all herself, playing many of the instruments too.

?Uh Huh Her? represents everything there is to admire about Harvey, a female icon of a different sort; while there's no doubt she's one sexy rock chick, she's not cosseted by stylists and concealed beneath layers of cosmetics, or needing elaborate music videos with lots of smoke and mirrors to put her in the best possible light, but a true artist (she trained as a sculptor in her art school days) capable of captivating and moving all who encounter her music.