Like ice tinkling in summer drinks

Really lovely, soft and insinuating new album coming from Laura Barrett. She’s a songwriter, singer, arranger and, here’s the different thing, kalimbist. She’ll remind you a little of Laura Veirs in tone and temperament, but with that beautiful percussive element of thumb piano, very nice. Her album, called Victory Garden, is out on Paper Bag Records next week. “Bluebird,” the giveaway track, features both Western piano, kalimba, strings, woodwinds and Barrett’s extraordinary jazz-touching voice…all without any sort of excess.