Album Review: Laura Peek – Key

Halifax’s Laura Peek is back with her sophomore album Key. Three years in the making, Key features a number of arrangements co-written by David Christensen (Heavy Blinkers, Jenn Grant). This provides a timeless flavour to an album featuring her distinct vocals that swirl around the sounds of piano, cello, and flute. The vocals and stories told by Laura are what make this album distinctive. A track like “Stay Sharp” has cheery and bouncy taps of piano keys and fluttering flutes that will keep your toes tapping as you listen along. A personal highlight of the album comes during the closing track “On the Shelf”, starting off simple and slow before picking up some speed with an echoed chorus with the sweeping sound of the cello in the background. My main complaint about Key is the way how the songs seem to all have a similar linear feel to them. At only 27 minutes, Laura Peek can get away with it. While not an album that you will listen to on a daily basis, it seems like the perfect accompaniment for a relaxing evening curled up with a book.