Meg Baird – Seasons On Earth

Meg Baird makes the kind of pretty, but sad, singer-songwriter Americana folk that soothes the soul, even if it is sometimes too languid to conjure any lasting emotional shift. The founder member of Philadelphia folk group Espers is now on to her second solo record and it’s a delicate thing, Baird’s pretty voice barely lifting above the acoustic guitar that is her usual accompaniment.

It’s no surprise to discover that she featured as a backing vocalist on Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy’s Ask Forgiveness EP in 2007. Friends indulges in a little lively wordplay: ‘So set your watch my friends/ as they watch me,’ while Stars Climb Up The Vine applies just enough pedal steel to push the tune further into the land of the dreamy and the whimsical. As such, it’s no revolution, but smooth and subtle enough to reward a little care and attention. [PJ Meiklem]