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Sara Laine

"Be My Muse"

After taking a break from the local music scene to start a family, singer-songwriter Sara Laine has released a debut album of eight original songs that announce her as an emerging talent as a songwriter and a singer with a raw but effective style.

Laine lives in Larkspur, but "By My Muse" is very much a Fairfax production. It was recorded there and features some of the town's best known musicians, including guitarist Tom Finch, a mainstay of the CD, and hand drummer Gabriel Harris, who adds conga to "This Time," an affecting midtempo track given an Eastern flavor by co-producer Robert M. Powell's electric sitar. The San Geronimo Valley's Howie Cort plays drums on the title track, a gentle rolling love ballad that recalls Carly Simon.

"Live Into the Answer," an engaging country tune, rides on Powell's sweet pedal steel work. This is a mature love song, as are several on the album, but with "Busy in Love," the very clever opener, Laine lets listeners know right out of the box that she has a lighter side and a sense of humor.

"A Human Heart," adapted from a Tom Finch song, is a serious effort with earnest intention, although it relies too often on cliches when a little more thought may have come up with a more original lyric.

Laine says she discovered vocal layering in the studio, but that kind of technical help may not be the best thing for an inexperienced singer. She has a natural talk-sing style, like a kind of female Lou Reed, but never seems to sing in full voice. Her vocals sometimes ride on top of the instrumental tracks rather than sitting down in the mix, being part of the musical whole. Her husky alto works best on one of the two covers, Robbie Robertson's poignant "Broken Arrow." For songwriters, there are lessons to be learned in Robertson's striking imagery.

With "Be My Muse," Laine shows that she has a gift for songwriting, for creating moving melodies and inventive arrangements to showcase her distinctive, smoky vocal style. The album puts the Marin music scene on notice that she's back, and that she's someone to watch.

Buy it: "Be My Muse," Sara Laine, independent, CD Baby, $14 CD, $9.99 download

— Paul Liberatore
