Beckonings by Carla Torgerson (CD)

The beauty of Carla Torgerson’s vocals still catch the heart as much as they did when she was one of the pillars of The Walkabouts. She’s never stopped writing songs since the group ended in 2014, and finally she’s back with a new band and a new album, Beckonings.
 
Beckonings is an album that very much looks to the future, but also keeps its connections to Torgerson's musical past. Featuring “Land of Plenty” written by Terry Lee Hale, with closing guitar atmospherics from former Walkabouts bandmate Chris Eckman, who also gave her the title track “Beckonings,” a song that offers a nod to the days of their Chris and Carla duo. The real focus, though, is on Torgerson’s own songs, with the epic, aching sweep of “Sunken Hearts” as the album’s penultimate centerpiece. The album closes with the wistful "It's Been a Great Show," a spare and powerful song featuring the piano playing of another of her Walkabouts bandmates, Glenn Slater.