2005 The Triumphs & Travails of Orphan Mae    CD  Bella Union BELLACD88 

1 Jailhouse Fire   2:32 
2 Up the River   3:21 
3 John Henry Lives   5:02 
4 Black-Eyed Susan   3:41 
5 Orphan Mae   2:01 
6 Blue Ink   4:41 
7 Montague Road   3:57 
8 Through December   4:14 
9 Raven Marching Band   5:16 
10 Movin' Along   4:56 

The first thing you need to know about this 2001 debut by Seattle-based singer songwriter Laura Viers is that it isn't as good as her 2004 masterpiece Carbon Glacier. Given its first UK release now as a result of the success of that record, The Triumphs And Travails Of Orphan Mae is a comparatively slight work, which nonetheless offers a fascinating glimpse of Veirs' nascent talent.

Even this early on in her career, Veirs' slightly spooked voice conveys a strong sense of place, especially when singing about her beloved wilderness in the American Northwest. And in case you're wondering, no she doesn't vote Republican. Dubbed 'art country' by a local news paper, Veirs sounds a little like Suzanne Vega might have if she'd grown up in such a place.

The two albums share the same subtly inventive producer in Tucker Martine, string arrangements by Eyvind Kang and a generally sparse, largely acoustic ambience, occasionally illuminated with subtle electronica. But only "John Henry Lives" and "Raven Marching Band" offer flashes of the luminescent imagery she maintains throughout Carbon Glacier. A few of the songs are twee ditties; she's still rhyming 'remember' with 'December' (in "Through December") and only beginning to find her feet as a singer.

For Carbon Glacier fans, ...Orphan Mae is a flawed but often fascinating snapshot of Veirs' developing muse. But if you haven't already got the wonderful album her reputation rightly rests on, buy that first.

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