Catie Curtis

Having spent way too much time and money in Starbucks over the years waiting for that fog-busting triple venti mocha to come up, I’ve been held captive to more than my quota of market-focused adult-contemporary folkie chanteuses. You know, those vulnerable, slightly world-weary alto voices spinning web after web of delicately etched details from unraveling relationships over mid-tempo sound beds of acoustic guitars, accordions and other totems of roots authenticity. Most are sonic floral wallpaper. On her fifth album, Catie Curtis, a veteran of Boston’s vibrant folk scene, rises above that median with 11 overcast tunes, including one (“The Night”) penned by the late, great Morphine bassist Mark Sandman. If you enjoy wallowing in the tentative purgatory that is everyday life, here’s a soundtrack.