In 1995, a singer/songwriter named Poe, whose real name is Annie Decatur Danielewski, released a CD entitled “Hello.” Its main single “Angry Johnny” enjoyed both critical acclaim and popularity, but Poe remained largely silent. On Oct. 31, 2000, five years after her debut album, the Los Angeles-based musician finally released a follow-up.

“Haunted,” Poe’s second album, both incorporates and expands upon the main characteristics of her first CD that mixed a variety of musical styles and performances from different musicians. With Poe’s strong and flexible singing voice and songwriting skills, the CD also incorporated a variety of samples.

Many of these samples are taken from a collection of audiotapes that contain recordings of her late father’s voice. These snippets of family gatherings and college lectures by her father, filmmaker Tad Danielewski, serve as both the core of Poe’s album, and as the binding thread between the songs.

The songs themselves encompass a wide range of theme and emotion, from the wistful memories of “Spanish Doll” and “If You Were Here,” to the challenges and warnings of “Not a Virgin” and “Hey Pretty,” to the frustration of “Lemon Meringue” and the defiant satisfaction of “Control.”

The musical tones of the songs are equally varied, with different songs using acoustic Spanish and electric guitar, layers of synthesizer and vocal effects, and even what sounds like a George Harrison-style sitar solo, all tied together by segues with dialogue from Poe, her father and mother, one of her teachers, and two children who represent Poe herself as a child.

The album also ties somewhat into the book “House of Leaves” by her brother Mark Z. Danielewski, in the form of several parallel themes and song titles taken directly from lines in the book, such as “Lemon Meringue,” 5 1/2 Minute Hallway,” and the long segue “House of Leaves.”

“Haunted” is an excellent piece of work, and improves upon the also-excellent “Hello” in every way except one: where “Hello” was a very easy album to listen to, “Haunted” is much longer and denser. Although it can be difficult to just sit back and listen to “Haunted,” it ends up being the better album overall by virtue of its musical craft and complexity.

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