Laura Cantrell

When country singers muse about New York City, it usually makes for a romantic theme. "14th Street" is such a song, though with its leaning toward more baroque pop instrumentation and arrangement, it may be the least country sounding tune on Laura Cantrell's third album. The Lucinda Williams penned "Letters" is another Big Apple themed ditty, though it sounds like it was played through Crazy Horse's amps with the volume turned down. "Poor Ellen Smith" and "Wishful Thinking" retain the timeless tones that Cantrell is heralded for and "California Rose" gallops with Spanish-style guitar playing.

The third album from this Nashville-bred New Yorker isn't above the obvious melodies and
swooning slickness of a typical Music Row production. But between several big-city ballads
and a Lucinda Williams cover, "Letters," Humming by the Flowered Vine works up a mix of
matter-of-fact and earnest confessionals that's rarely precious, usually gorgeous and worth
returning to.