Review: KERA Terri Hendrix The Art of Removing Wallpaper Wilory by David Okamoto The Art of Removing Wallpaper is an inspired title for Terri Hendrix's fifth studio album-it's a clever metaphor for the way the San Marcos singer-songwriter has learned to peel away the layers to get to the raw emotions buried underneath, but it also alludes to the care and patience that she has applied to her career. Ever since graduating from San Antonio's Riverwalk scene eight years ago, Hendrix has released albums on her own label at her own pace, funding the sessions with money raised from concerts and live recordings. Record compainies started dangling deals in front of her long before she co-wrote "Lil' Jack Slade" for the Dixie Chicks, a bluegrass present for lead singer Natalie Maines' son that last year won a Grammy for best country instrumental. But she's resisted that temptation with the same determination that has kept her based in the hill country haven of San Marcos -- close enough to benefit from Austin's loyal country-folk audience but far enough to keep from being pigeonholed as just another guitar-strumming contender on the city's crowded scene. Individuality comes second only to integrity for the 36-year-old Hendrix,whose CDs serve as musical mile markers for her progress as an artist and her growth as a person: 2002's marvelous The Ring found her confronting her most intimidating fears and intimidating feelings, and on The Art of Removing Wallpaper, she builds upon that confidence with outspoken anthems like "Judgment Day," a diatribe against violence committed in the name of God, and "Monopoly," a commentary on the freeze-out of choice instigated by Clear Channel's consolidation of the airwaves. It's a far cry from the endearing hippie-chick philosophies and life-affirming story songs of her earlier albums- but even in her angriest moments, Hendrix's outcries are designed to inspire rather than incite. Balancing passion and politics is a challenge but longtime collaborators Lloyd Maines, Glen Fukunaga and Paul Pearcy keep her songs rooted in the warm, acoustic textures of Texas while she incorporates the tougher tones of gospel, raggae, blues and even rap music in the half-spoken/half-sung verses of "Its About Time" and her cover of LL Cool J's "I need love." This is not the first time the rapper's 1987 hit has been translated into a folk setting- Luka Bloom made it sound like Celtic poetry on a 1992 album called The Acoustic Motorbike. But Hendrix reinvents it by putting a feminine spin on the most longing verses, replacing the orginal's crotch-tugging bluster with the heart-thumping conviction of a soul mate promising to lift you up where others have you let let you down. The comfort of loved ones, the discovery of inner strength and how to wield it-these are not unexplored themes in pop music. But they are rarely delivered as eloquently as they are on The Art of Removing Wallpaper, the latest installment in Terri Hendrix's evolution from struggling artist to fascinating work in progress.