Among a current crop of rising female blues rockers that includes the likes of Deborah Bonham, Shannon Curfman, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Carolyn Wonderland, and, locally, Melinda, singer Dana Fuchs just may be the busiest of the bunch. Between her portrayal of Janis Joplin in the musical play Love, Janis, several big screen appearances (Across the Universe, SherryBaby, and the Gonzo Music Diaries), her 2003 studio debut Lonely for a Lifetime (which included such gems as the rocking title track and "Hiding from Your Love," as well as the breezy "Songbird" inspired by her sister), a few tours of Europe, and both a live CD and DVD from New York City, it's already been what most would consider a pretty productive decade for Fuchs. Yet the Florida native is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon: there's another movie on its way and a TV pilot in which she's involved, in addition to her newest album, Love to Beg, out today on Ruf Records.

Kicking off with the Melissa Etheridge-like title track, it isn't long before you hear the first hints of the voice that helped cast her as Joplin on stage. "Love to Beg" also serves as one of the album's best single-song displays of Fuchs' vocal range, from the tune's soft intro to its rocking chorus, with some equally impressive contributions from longtime collaborator Jon Diamond on both guitar and harmonica. The shuffling "Nothing's What I Cry For" really takes you into Joplin territory, while "Keepsake" is a beautiful ballad that showcases the more sensitive side of Fuchs' smoky voice.

One of the album's best tracks is a Rolling Stones-sounding "Set It on Fire," which also provides both a fine example of Fuchs' and Diamond's songwriting abilities and the first part of a powerful one-two punch, followed by the driving "Faster Than We Can." That gives way to the slow country feel of "Keep on Rollin'," where "Drive" sounds like something you might easily hear from Vince Gill, with Fuchs' voice in full Joplin mode by song's end.

The closest thing you'll hear to pop from Fuchs is the breezy "Summersong," buoyed by some jazzy horns and organ and splendid background vocals. "Pretty Girl" and "What You See" are both rocking numbers, the latter containing some especially fiery guitar, while Fuchs goes for the soul on the album's only cover, Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long," that ends on some particularly heart-wrenching vocals.

Permeated by a bluesy "Get Ready"-style melody, the funky "Superman" allows Fuchs to slip in a few words of prayer just before the album's close, though we doubt any divine intervention will be necessary to make Love to Beg one of this year's biggest hits.