Carnival

Honey-voiced Nashville songstress Nora Jane Struthers calls her music “classic Americana.” But as the opening song to her sophomore album displays, it’s the timeless string-band accents that give her well-crafted American songwriting a classic patina. “The Baker’s Boy” sets a pastoral tone, with Struthers’ earnest lyrics painting a small-town narrative over barn-dance fiddles and clawhammer banjo playing. Produced by Brent Truitt (Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, Alison Krauss), Carnival balances a sound as old as the hills with a production that’s fresh like wild mountain lavender. In the title track, she pines to visit the kind of carnival painted by Norman Rockwell, with candy apples, sweet potato fries, and mustachioed trapeze artists. This vision stands in stark contrast to the reality of today’s mobile amusement parks, where deep-fried-Twinkie wrappers and port-o-potties litter the fairgrounds. “Travelin’ On” closes with Struthers and band singing close harmonies over acoustic strumming and handclapped rhythms.