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You’d expect a studio rat like Dawn Landes – who’s engineered with Philip Glass, HEM and Joseph Arthur — to blanket her own material with all those big-board tricks she’s learned. But Fireproof, her second full-length, is most notable for its modest finish – a tempo shift from trot to canter, a moment of synth swirl or toy thumb piano, a clever lyric twist. These subtle embellishments pull out the organic grain in her narratives, whether they’re folk, twang or indie pop. She turns the traditional “I Don’t Need No Man” into an irresistible gallop hurried along by a brief synth explosion; “Picture Show” is a silly ditty with creepy, Waits-ian overtones until it morphs into a ramshackle rocker; “Private Little Hell” integrates electronica and acoustic elements as seamlessly as Beth Orton. But even when playing it straight, as on the pedal steel-driven “Twilight” or Townes Van Zandt-like “Tired of This Life,” Landes’ songwriting voice is as deft as her studio touch.

Standout Tracks: “Twilight,” “I Don’t Need No Man” JOHN SCHACHT