Slip into intoxication with Iron & Wine

You remember Doc Brown's trusty "Sleep-Inducing Alpha Rhythm Generator" from Back to the Future, Part II? The thing he used to put Jennifer to sleep when they all hopped in the DeLorean and zoomed to 2015? Anybody? No?

Whatever. They should rename that thing the "Sam Beam." Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if Sam Beam, the heart and soul and voice and lullaby guitarist of Iron & Wine, could quell a South Pacific typhoon and tuck it in for afternoon siesta in Spain simply by playing a few measures of acoustic bliss. As it is though, we are not typhoons; we are mere listeners, but decidedly lucky listeners because the bearded Floridian has recently turned out his latest EP, "Woman King," on the coattails of 2004's widely successful "Our Endless Numbered Days." Beam sticks to his basic tenets of songwriting on "Woman King," but here and there he throws in an extra kick that might shift your heretofore undisturbed dreamscape.

The first thing we might notice when taking "Woman King" for a spin is that it retains the production quality of "Our Endless Numbered Days." Once again, Beam has opted to head away from the rough and tumble folksy roots that caught critics' eyes on "The Creek Drank the Cradle" (2002) and has decided to settle down in the studio. Second point: surprisingly, Iron & Wine actually sounds like it is comprised of more than two people! There is a diversity of instrumentation among "Woman King's" six tracks that sets it apart from its predecessors. The title track and opener features a lazy slide guitar reminiscent of an early Ben Harper set over a percussion-heavy strum. Cymbal work is subtly jazzy at times and elevates the listener to apparent weightlessness. It is a cool song.

All you die-hard conservatives can rest easy knowing that Iron & Wine appears in vintage form on "Jezebel." Beam's voice is characteristically soothing, playing beautifully off a simple acoustic guitar pattern, and leaving just enough room for his sister Sarah to fill in some delicate harmonies. It is a traditionally sweet song.

Nevertheless, it is the unusual breadth of "Gray Stables" that makes it the pick of the litter. In less than four minutes, it captures the essence of the entire EP both musically and thematically. In the realm of the former, we can hear Sam Beam experimenting: he moves seamlessly in and out of multiple vocal tracks and threads two guitars with a swelling violin to produce a piece of beauty.

And in terms of the latter, it doesn't take a lyrically sensitive ear to notice that "Woman King" is Beam's vehicle for chasing the feminine ideal. Every song in the collection deals with Beam's dream girl in one way or another. Sometimes, as in "Woman King," Beam praises her strength; sometimes, as in "Gray Stables", it's all about her simple grace: "my lady . . . shameless . . . weightless . . . gorgeous in your weakness." It is a great song.

Whatever — or perhaps I should say whoever — inspired Beam in the creation of "Woman King" sounds really sweet, and if my product could even slightly resemble Beam's, I'd gladly take her as my Muse. "Woman King," though just an EP, achieves a new level of creativity for Iron & Wine, tending toward variety but predicated upon Sam Beam's established strongholds. His voice still cradles, his guitar still caresses, but there's more to it this time around. Somehow, he might become a means to begin the day and not just wind it down to tranquility at bedtime. But that still works too, rest assured, quite effectively.