The day I got this I listened to it 3 times! It makes me remember the road trip that I've never taken w/my hair blowin' in the breeze & the fate of my own world clenched between my teeth. It's moody & melancholic w/a bit of light stuck in between. It's driving and hoot-n-hollerin'! "Jailhouse Fire" is a perfect opener, setting the tone for the rest of the CD . Other songs that make me wanna ride in a big open chevy thru the desert discovering my true self: "John Henry Lives" & "Orphan Mae." Among the low-key favorites I savor is "Montague Road" which is nicely played w/sparse instrumentation & sung softly thru a vocal effect giving it an indescribable mood. "Through December" is a brooding & rich highlight for me. This CD is rootsy & folksy but w/a punch, w/attitude, and w/a lot of feeling. I give Laura Veirs & her players many thumbs up. I rarely hear music so wonderfully played that it grips my chest right away... this is, however, one of those few albums.

Orphan Mae has a warm vision questy (but on a teeny bit of acid) feel to it that is wholly original and charming in a sneaky way. Sounds like the unconscious stuff that runs through your head when your not thinking (but really good) 'cuz it's sort of subterranean journey music--a coming of age, every-girl, ordinary oddysey elevated by being set to music -- this must be heard & experienced instead of going to college -- very cool.

the asistive technology for the blind called talking toolbox is called the future of sound on marvel soft's web site. well if marvel soft is the future of sound, well the three cds by laura veirs are the future of folk. her songs are as fdifferent and uncatigorizable as it gets, and the voicdsinging them is simply rapturous. she even whistles beautifully just listen to the opener on this cd. she has already finished her new cd for nonesuch and this time she said on her site that she's going electric. well got to make sure you buy this cd and go from there this blind writer wouldn't kid with you you won't be disappointed.

The very first song i heard from Laura Veirs was 'Jailhouse fire' and i remember thinking 'Wow, that's original. Let's give it a try'. Since then i bought every albums Laura Veirs created. Laura Veirs songs generate a very special atmosphere to which i am very sensitive; i have to add that i'm french and that i don't understand english perfectly, so i'm more sensitive to the mood of miss Veirs's songs than to the real meaning of words.