Composer Karen Mantler’s whispery sing-song voice recalls Suzanne Vega and Nellie McKay, yet she displays a disarming wit that dwells on the commonplace—she’s previously written a trilogy about her cat. Here on her fifth album and first in 14 years, she explores (among other things) the difficulties of travel, death, and writer’s block. Supporting herself on piano as well as in expressive but elliptical harmonica solos, Mantler makes music that dwells between pop simplicity and jazz subtlety, with guitarist/bass clarinetist Doug Wieselman and bassist Kato Hideki providing appropriately understated support. A deceptively simple but ultimately quite rewarding listen.