Forager

There is an instantly classic ambiance on Lauren Barth’s latest LP, Forager. Anchored in the kind of world-weary folk of Lucinda Williams and the ageless Emmylou Harris, Barth’s poetic verses are delivered with a poise befitting the new dawning of heavy-lidded Americana. On songs like “Learned It From the Sky,” Barth’s effortless folk croon is accompanied by tasteful lap steel, shakers, Dobro and baritone guitar, painting dense and playful shuffles. “Getting High (Is Getting Me Down)” lifts the veil on Barth’s stoney apathy. And while the shimmery cosmic-country reverence of “Mama Don’t Cry” may be the album’s de facto single, the B-side charmer “Buddies” ought to get more play for its brilliant lyrical request of an absent lover not to call Barth “baby,” because “if you call me that/someday, I might have to get used to you calling me by my name.” It’s the kind of sentiment that goes hand in hand with the dejected tradition of country-music songwriting and the clearest indication of Barth’s talents.