A woozy and warm derivation of the solo voice and instrument practice mapped out by John Martyn and, later, Arthur Russell. Some of the playing is rubber-stringed guitar and bass playing going through a mylar mirror of pitch shifting, some of it is fireflies of tone circling the high head voice. The naivete of Russell is here with some of Martyn’s soul, and a sui generis sense of procedure and vibe. A small gem.

Maybe this is a jazz record, maybe a folk record, maybe experimental, whatever label you want to put on it. What it is is Say Laura, a gorgeous, patient record by Eric Chenaux, a singer with a lilting, Arthur Russell-esque voice and the guitar chops to turn straw into gold. The five songs, alternating between semi-traditional structure and guitar improvisation, move slowly but reveal worlds upon worlds in the negative space between each rubbery pluck of the strings. Endlessly rewarding and more lovely than challenging, it is the rare experimental record to play at a small party for the right friends.