Laura Veirs - July Flame

With so many modern female artists bursting onto the scene in the last year, it would be easy for this seventh album to get overlooked.

But doing so would be a great shame because it would mean missing out on all the melancholic beauty of ‘July Flame’. The album showcases Veirs’ warm vocals, deft guitar picking and country-inflected songwriting. It’s not all so stripped down as to be dull, however, and songs like the title track are intricately woven tapestries of strings, woodwind and cooing backing vocals.

The only downside is Veirs’ lack of a distinctive sound: for all her skill she never quite steps out of the shadow of her influences.

7/10

Words by Steve Harris