LISA FRASER: Midday Songs (Abiah Music)

Listening to Midday Songs, it's nearly impossible to believe that Lisa Fraser's career as a solo performer is barely four years old, or that she took off a year and a half of that time for a religious mission. It's just barely possible, though, because the proof is in hand in the form of an album full of confident vocals, accomplished songwriting and instrumental virtuosity.

It's just not fair.

But it's a blessing.

Among the more astonishing qualities of Fraser's work is her startling originality, as a songwriter, certainly, but especially as a vocal performer. It's not just a strong, distinctive voice, but things like her ability to stretch a single word into a multi-syllabic vocalese solo without missing a step in her melodic structure or her lyrical narrative.