Porlolo - 'Meadows'

Next month Gunnison, Colorado, indie folk artist Porlolo will release her sophomore album titled Meadows. Porlolo's Erin Roberts is a great talent who gets far too little attention. Her debut Storm and Season was a terrific record, and Meadows is more of the same. The new record showcases Porlolo's talents with gusto -- she's a lovely guitarist and trumpet player, and her songs effortlessly meander from romanticism to heartbreak.

Opener "Meadows" is a gorgeous and backed by smartly used strings, and "Tear You Down" and its vengeful lyrics have a country flair and cowgirl cadence. "The is No I in Athens" features Roberts on trumpet and is both gorgeous and bittersweet. The folk-pop of "Animals Should Live Forever" is sweet and fetching, not unlike recent output from Seattle's Laura Veirs, and sea shanty "Rattle, Roam" would be right at home on a Decemberists record. I admittedly enjoyed the first half of the record more than the second, but Meadows is a fine work.

Porlolo - There Is No I in Athens
Porlolo - Animals Should Live Forever

The CD release show for Meadows will be held on July 18 at the Hi-Dive in Denver. Storm and Season is currently available from CD Baby.