Up This High (Independent)

The second full-length from Carly Thomas finds the singer-songwriter in a quietly rootsy mood. Her nicely crafted originals are carried along by her sparkling acoustic guitar and Matthew Burditt’s piano, usually rhapsodically rolling in the Bruce Hornsby manner. There are other sounds, most notably Cris Derksen’s soulful cello on “Untie Me” and some other tracks. On the downside, David Picking’s drums on “By Your Side” have a compressed, synthetic quality that chills the song’s forward momentum.

The country-tinged singer’s main instrument is not terribly dynamic, but (à la Rosanne Cash, whose tone she recalls) Thomas is highly expressive within a narrow range. The compositions need more rhythmic and harmonic contrast, as they all tend to bounce pleasantly between a few chords in the same key. This keeps Up This High a little too grounded for its own good, and the sober mood could use a little more humour as well as surprise—although calling one of the most mournful tunes “Every Night’s a Party” does display a pleasing sense of irony.

Highlights include the simply titled “New York”, which finds the well-travelled singer pondering some Big Apple memories, and the jaunty “Drive Me Home”, which manages to sound nostalgic and forward-looking at the same time. Thomas’s ruminative approach is perhaps most effective on the long closing song, “Northern Lights”, a late-night car song highlighted by muted trumpet from Melissa McReady, who elsewhere plays snappy electric guitar and provides high harmony vocals. That one’s missing nothing.