Having perused various lists over the past 6 weeks or so it's hard to get out of the list mindset; best album of the month, favourite record of 2010 released in 2009, one of the most over/underlooked records of the last quarter of the year etc. Well, July Flame by Portland based Laura Veirs could perhaps be one of the best records of January and is certainly the best album this reviewer has heard so far this year.Well, meaningless categorisations out of the way you're free to relax and enjoy the music, apt as there is much to enjoy. Having moved away from the more electronic elements of previous record Saltbreakers to a barer, folkier landscape, Veirs crafts an elegantly understated record. It's worth acknowledging the nods to the choral Americana of Fleet Foxes, not least in the opening 'I Can See Your Tracks' and 'When You Give Your Heart'.Those looking for lyrical flamboyance however may be disappointed; romance is the order of the day, coupled with an infectious upbeat wistfulness. The title track's chorus as it turns from plea to rhetorical question, layers of harmonies singing “can I call you mine/can I call you mine” atop resplendent strings; a fine example of the benefits of this simplicity. It's a sign of an experienced songwriter who is now at the peak of their craft.'Life Is Good Blues' is perhaps the archetypal Veirs track and one of the albums high points, perfectly capturing the happiness and inherit melancholy present in so much of every day life in a reliably beautiful melody while Summer Is The Champion packs in strident brass and adds no little soul to yet another carefree vocal.Veirs has somewhat of an auntieish vibe; in appearance and in her teaching music to school children when not on tour or in the studio and this charm infuses her always delightful vocals; there are fewer more personable singers, friendly, girlish and likeable while never in danger of being bland or too lightweight and frilly. Having originally been scheduled for release in the pre-Christmas wasteland it's heartening that common sense has prevailed and just maybe this early 2010 release will see July Flame get the attention it deserves.