Secretly Canadian

Canadian musician Lauren Spear brought a background in bluegrass along with her to Montreal when she moved from British Columbia as a young adult. She expanded her interests into contemporary folk, rock, and country as she established herself in the indie scene there, and started releasing her own songs under the solo alias Le Ren in the mid-2010s. A record deal with Secretly Canadian followed in time for her full-length debut, the Chris Cohen-produced Leftovers. Guests including Big Thief's Buck Meek, Mauno's Eliza Niemi, and pedal steel guitarist Aaron Goldstein also contributed to the album's gentle, textured palette. It opens with a sparse, Renaissance-style folk tune, the dulcimer-accompanied "Take On Me," which introduces Le Ren's lithe and lucid vocal delivery alongside evocative lyrics like, "Just listen to the stillness/Of a stirring from within." A rhythm section, violin, ornamental piano, and more join in on "Dyan." A short, sweet standout dedicated to the songwriter's mother, its warm lyricism more directly evokes '60s and '70s folkie influences. More country-minded songs here include the drawled "Was I Not Enough?," ("Don't make me weep like a") "Willow," and a more playful, lilting waltz, "Who's Going to Hold Me Next?" featuring Goldstein's pedal steel work. As if kids are asleep in the next room, even the more expansively arranged entries here never rise above hushed, late-night volumes or, more importantly, ever compete with Spear's restrained, reflective vocals, even "Annabelle and Maryanna," a swung, strummed duet with Tenci's Jess Shoman about the value of platonic relationships. Alternately poignant and heartwarming throughout, the album closes with "May Hard Times Pass Us By," a song whose resilient demeanor and fingerstyle technique are representative of Leftovers' affecting timelessness. © Marcy Donelson /TiVo