Singer-songwriter plays songs off her new album

CORVALLIS — Singer-songwriter Mare Wakefield performs at 9 p.m. Friday, May 23, at Bombs Away Cafe. Tickets are $8 or $5 for students with ID.

Wakefield is touring on a giant loop that will take her from Dallas, Texas, to Des Moines, Iowa, to promote her new album, “Ironwood.” The album is filled with strong characters, from the woman who calls out all liars in “Enough Bad Love” to the mother who saves her daughter but pays a high price in “Pretty Little Bird.” Then there’s the gun-toting girlfriend in “Slimeball,” and the tongue-in-cheek barfly in “Whiskey Does it Better.”

Sparkling guitars highlight opener “Enjoy the View,” while stark piano and cello complement the title track. Producer Nomad Ovunc helped to create hushed soundscape of “Dreams Come True.”

“It’s mostly bass and voice, and it might just be my favorite,” Wakefield confides. “Nomad does this amazing thing where he frets the bass high on the neck, making it sound like some kind of baritone harp. That tune is always a show-stopper live, and with the atmospheric synth sounds, it’s really gorgeous.”

Besides Ovunc, Wakefield gets help on her fourth independent release from Nashvillians Joe Rathbone, Colleen McFarland and Dave Isaacs. Texas troubadours Dylan Sneed, Kristy Kruger and David Newbould stop by to put on a harmony, and the sound is rounded out by Tommy Perkinson on drums, Sari Reist on cello and Josh Fuson on harmonica.

For more information, see www.marewakefield.com.