Everything You Need

Much in the spirit of other strong alt-country singer-songwriters like Kathleen Edwards and Sara Cox, Manda Mosher skirts the genre with enough mainstream pop appeal to avoid being so easily classifiable. She plays a dobro and blows a harmonica (“Thank You”) where she hears fit. Her smooth delivery on Pete Townshend’s “Blue, Red and Grey” and her own “Don’t You Know” owe more to Karen Carpenter than, say, Lucinda Williams, while the whirling, whimsical flourishes of “One True Love” flash moments of Nashville under its pop tent as the organ gently purrs behind Mosher’s honeyed vocals — the sudden “oohs” taking things to another level. “Wash It All Away” and the title track work similarly, relying on the tightknit groove of mildly distorted guitars, emerging Hammond organs, and Mosher’s unpretentious delivery to build the songs to dramatic heights without ever threatening the sound barrier. It’s soft rock with a sturdy backbone and unashamed pop hooks.