Her life was mired in scandal, mostly through her husband, though she herself lived a brazen and racy existence as few contemporary southern ladies did.
However, what would otherwise have been a routine admission became mired in a national controversy due to the delicate balance between slave and free states.
Yet, that flirtation counts for something: it means the album is livelier, less self-conscious, less beholden to the expected, and quick-footed enough to not seem mired in show biz glitz.
