E-Mail This Article to a Friend Homegrown folk Deb Talan branches out on her own and with the Weepies BY CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY

There’s a reedy catch in Deb Talan’s voice that distinguishes her from the seemingly endless supply of girls with guitars who populate the local folk clubs. Along with her poignant songwriting, it’s what’s made her one of the most promising artists on the softer side of the Boston music scene over the past few years. Back in 2001, she won Acoustic Guitar magazine’s "Homegrown CD" award; she followed up in 2002 by taking home the grand prize in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s Troubadours contest. Like a lot of up-and-coming independent artists, she’s also benefitted from licensing her songs for use on television and in movies, most notably in the film Lovely & Amazing.

Last year, however, was a particularly busy one for Talan, who took advantage of the momentum her career had picked up by releasing two new studio albums. The first, A Bird Flies Out, continues on much the same contemplative, often somber trad-folk path as her previous studio recording, 2000’s Something Burning (all of her CDs are self-released), but with better production that brings to mind John Leventhal’s understated yet slick work with Shawn Colvin and Rosanne Cash. The other, Happiness, is more of a roots-pop offering that finds her collaborating with her boyfriend, Steve Tannen, as the Weepies. Both recordings, however, are built around Talan’s voice and her ease with infectious melodies.

Talan is the first to admit that her beginnings as a songwriter (at age 14) were rooted in what she refers to as "really horrible pop songs." What she may not realize is how well her intuitive sense of pop mechanics serves both her folk songs and her rootsier writing. A compelling cycle culled from three years of writing, A Bird Flies Out begins with "Unraveling," whose vocal melody, delivered cautiously by Talan, is bathed in æthereal guitar licks. The lyrics include an extended reverie that turns the mundane — in this case shoelaces — into the magical. "You tie your shoes too tight, you know?/’Cause it feels better that way/And when you don’t, all night you lay dreaming/You watch the laces streaming/Down the street behind you/A river of tangled string/You are unraveling." That’s the kind of engaging image Talan fills her songs with, whether she’s detailing a break-up in "Two Points" or looking to the future with longing and uncertainty in "How Will He Find Me?"

In spite of a band name that would suggest otherwise, the tracks on the Weepies’ debut, Happiness, are far more buoyant than Talan’s solo material. "Actually, the making of both records was joyful, but they do have a very different feel from one another," Talan concedes. "Working with Steve in the company of musicians we enjoy brings out that buoyancy. I think the most important musical relationship we’ve forged recently has been with Jim Henry. Creating musical ties with people takes time and work — you need to be playing with them consistently." Henry is all over the new discs, adding an eclectic mix of instrumental embellishments on dobro, lap steel, and mandolin to the guitar-based material.

"Having the songs remain authentic is the most important part," says Talan of playing with a band. "The intimacy of playing solo is hopefully something one can maintain regardless. But I love playing with others; it’s a whole different sort of conversation. I think the ideal format moves between the two."

Talan is looking forward to using both of her latest recordings as springboards for moving forward in her career. "My goals are three-pronged. I’d like to become more connected with TV and film — it can give you a tremendous boost in terms of making people aware of your music. I’m even interested in instrumental scoring. Having one of my songs used in a movie didn’t make me a whole lot of money, but the exposure is priceless."

She’s also reached a point where it’s become difficult to do it all herself. "I need help with booking. Maintaining the business of a career takes away from my creative time, which is the third part: I need to make more time for writing."

One obvious way for Talan to free herself from the business matters would be to sign to a major label. But she remains cautious. "Some majors, if they’re well run, have the means to make a project really work. They already have the facets of promotion in place. But I’d be incredibly careful. You hear ugly stories about what happens when people don’t protect themselves."