Laura Veirs
Saltbreakers
Nonesuch



Laura Veirs' impeccable songwriting and angular, quietly commanding voice have served her well over five albums. On 'Saltbreakers', Veirs reunites with The Tortured Souls, her backup band for all except her debut album, and the familiarity between Veirs and her collaborators adds to the intimate, almost improvised feel of some of the songs. However, though this may be a familiar group, Veirs is clearly interested in taking her music in subtly different directions. While still primarily a folk album with splashes of alt-rock, this is the brightest, most optimistic album Veirs has delivered since 2003's 'Troubled By The Fire.'

Much like Sarah Blasko's recent 'What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have,' this album's title is an indication of the scenery that weaves it way through the album, but in a much more playful way. On the unabashedly lovely Ocean Night Song, Veirs sings "the sea meets delight in his saltwater eyes," sharing a secret meeting with a lover while the sparse use of bass and viola almost sound like the distant calls of dolphins.

On Wandering Kind, the album's sprightly, playful side is accentuated by bells and percussion, while Tortured Souls' frontman Tucker Martine provides rare backing vocals on the slightly more rock-oriented title track. The two tracks that close the album, Black Butterfly and Wrecking, return to Veirs' more melancholic side even as lyrics such as "we can do some wrecking here/and find something to love/in this broken place" remain strangely hopeful.

On 'Saltbreakers', even as Veirs draws in new elements and delivers a collection of intimate songs which resonate with slightly different emotions from her previous releases, she still retains the strengths seen on her previous works. The result is a consistently rewarding listen.

Brian O'Neill