REVIEW: July Flame By Laura Veirs

(Bella Union)

***

This 13-track album is slightly more stripped back in style than Saltbreakers, which featured an eight-member gospel choir at one point.

Folk-country singer songwriter Laura Veirs’ seventh album July Flame is typically lo-fi, and like her previous six albums was produced by Tucker Martine. Her staple collaborators also reappear, including Karl Blau, whose harmony vocals you may remember from the title track of her last album, 2007’s Saltbreakers, and Steve Moore. This 13-track album is slightly more stripped back in style than Saltbreakers, which featured an eight-member gospel choir at one point. July Flame has banjo played by Veirs, which enhances the country feel, but also saxophone, mandolin, viola and autoharp. A gorgeous string quartet arranged by Stephen Barber also plays on three tracks. Veirs doesn’t pretend to possess any high level musicality. Her style is usually a very basic finger-picked guitar melody repeated over, and her vocals have that trademark Liz Phair, ‘I’m not trying to sing proper, but yes, I do have a sweet voice,’ blunt ring - especially on the song ‘Carol Kaye’ which sounds uncannily like Liz herself. This Portland based chick has gained kudos from indie artists like My Morning Jacket and the Decemberists for this album. Her existing fans will love it, as will those who like acoustic female vocalist indie albums, and country folk like Holly Golightly and the Brokeroffs.

Jazial Crossley