July Flame

Singer-songwriter Laura Veirs flirted with the mainstream with a major-label record contract, but in 2010, she’s back in the independent world, scaling back on her arrangements and allowing her folk roots to show through. Out of financial necessity she had to let her backing band go, but this new loneness is not so bad. “I Can See Your Tracks” begins spookily enough, Veirs’ voice peeking out from behind the echo, provided by her boyfriend and producer-extraordinaire Tucker Martine. They’ve been working together for years and they create a romantic weave that’s alluded to throughout the lyrics in tunes obvious (“When You Give Your Heart”) and obscure (“Little Deschutes”). Veirs spends most of her time strumming with Martine’s sensitive arrangements of sparse, carefully chosen strings and light percussion occasionally being overruled by a need to rock out in full force (“Summer Is the Champion”) or at least with a pulsing groove (“July Flame”). The choir arrangement on the tribute to legendary session bassist “Carol Kaye” is especially noteworthy.