Cry Tomorrow

Stephanie Finch is a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter who’s appeared on records for Mark Kozelek’s Red House Painters and Green On Red’s Chuck Prophet. Now, Prophet returns the favor and produces and performs on this extremely comfortable sounding album of unassuming tunes that slowly get under your skin. The “Company Men” are an economical group — Prophet, Rusty Miller, Kelley Stoltz — who create loose, Stones-like grooves, Brill Building pop flourishes, and a country rock that sounds like it springs from the dusty southwest. Finch is a no-nonsense singer. She sings with her heart and her rootsy stylistic inflections right up front, making quick work of the bar band workout, “Don’t Back Out Now,” the moody bounce of the Alejandro Escovedo-Prophet composed “Sensitive Boys” and the previously unreleased Randy Newman tune, “She’s The One” (an outtake from the TV Musical Cop Rock). Finch recalls those smart singers of past eras where the ego takes a back seat to the perfect song. She works in service of her material and the band play along accordingly.