Folk veteran Kris Delmhorst to melt the work-weary at San Francisco’s The Chapel

photo by Joanna Chattman; courtesy of Sacks & Co.

Having grown up among the lo-fi-est of the lo-fi, Brooklyn-native Kris Delmhorst ventured away from the great big city for more pastoral Massachusetts and settled into a more pastoral, folk sound. Which was an excellent decision, given her pipes: she’s got this firm country alto, a wine best paired with twangy keyboard and guitar. She’s also a prolific collaborator, frequently working with Redbird and appearing on other recordings.

Her seventh record, Blood Test, is a soulful folk masterpiece. In its original songwriting, Delmhorst explores the connotations and literary devices available to the word “blood” – she uses it as a metaphor for relationship woes (“Blood Test”), she parallels the arterial system to flowing rivers (“Homeless”), and she entertains the idea of a “blood red sun” (“We Deliver”). She has a fair bit of fun with “Bees,” an aural orchard of mellow layers, singing, “My dreams are full of bees, buzzing bees.” She’s a busy body, that’s for sure.

Her most sophisticated album yet, Blood Test warrants a bottle of wine and candles – it’s the sort of album that melts the day’s insignificant qualms away, a wholly natural remedy for lingering stress or bitterness. To support the release, Delmhorst will be stopping by The Chapel Thursday, June 5th, in the midst of a week-long West Coast run. A spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down — tickets here.